Both Hands
by sneakyglance
Summary: Elliot smiled. "Well, maybe if you hadn't gotten the flu, Cap wouldn't have sent you home for a week." Olivia smiled faintly. Right at that moment she wished she were suffering from the flu. E/O Relationship. LAST CHAPTER IS UP!
1. Both Hands

All chapters have been written to the fabulous Ani DiFranco. Each chapter is titled after one of her amazing songs. Check her out if you haven't already...

_both hands now use both hands oh, no don't close your eyes i am writing graffiti on your body i am drawing the story of how hard we tried i am watching your chest rise and fall like the tides of my life, and the rest of it all and your bones have been my bedframe and your flesh has been my pillow i am waiting for sleep to offer up the deed with both hands__-Both Hands, Ani DiFranco_

Olivia was comfortably lounging on a well-cushioned wicker couch that was placed on her large wrap-around porch. She wore a long, white bohemian shirt with flowers embroidered along the collar line and a brown pair of baggy hemp pants. Her feet were bare and her hair was long and loose down past her breasts. Her eyes and skin glowed.

She stared out at the beautiful neighbourhood surrounding the home. Children jumped rope as parents lounged with large glasses of lemonade in hand and sunglasses perched on their heads.

Olivia adjusted herself on the couch to make herself more comfortable and then placed her hand on her pregnant belly. She turned her head to the door that was beside the arm on the couch she rested on. The doorknob turned and Elliot walked onto the porch from the main house. He leaned down to kiss the top of Olivia's head.

"Hey baby." Olivia whispered and raised her hand up, all the while keeping one hand on her small stomach. She pulled Elliot down, leading him with the lightest touch of her fingers, to her lips. She captured him fully with her mouth. When their lips separated he rested his forehead against hers and they both closed their eyes.

"God, I needed that..." he whispered. Olivia kissed him once more before fully separating. She then raised her back up from the arm of the couch and Elliot smoothly slid in behind her. He spread his legs and bent them akimbo so his broad chest became her new resting place. He wrapped his arms around her chest and kissed the top of her head again.

"Bad day?" she asked.

"The worst. Fin and I had a 12 year old. She wont give in to telling us who her attacker is."

"So, she knows who it was."

"I know." he whispered.

"I wish I could have been there." she sighed.

Elliot smiled. "Well, maybe if you hadn't gotten the flu, Cap wouldn't have sent you home for a week."

Olivia smiled faintly. Right at that moment she wished she were suffering from the flu.

"The guys asked if I had seen you today. I told them I called but you were sleeping."

Olivia nodded and stared down at her hands.

"But my official line is that I'm here bringing you chicken noodle soup. Are you feeling any better?"

Olivia nodded. She stared down at her stomach. Was it noticeable? Could the blind eye tell that a life was growing inside her? How was she going to deal with this? She was supposed to have the flu. Not have morning sickness from carrying her partners' child. The partner she had been secretly sleeping with for almost a year. How was she going to explain a baby to her captain and co-workers? To the IAB? To Elliot? The fear Olivia was feeling filled her throat.

"You're quiet..." Elliot pointed out.

"Sorry." Olivia rested her head in the space between his shoulder and chest. She felt like she was in a shell of comfort and love when he held her.

"Olivia, what's going on?"

Olivia sighed. "I'm just- trying to figure a few things out right now..."

She could feel Elliot's body stiffen under hers.

"Do I need to be concerned? You're not planning on running off with the FBI again, are you?"

Olivia laughed. "No. I'm not going anywhere."

Suddenly, Elliot's cell phone rang. He sighed and Olivia groaned. She placed her hands on his knees while he answered his phone.

"Stabler." Olivia pressed her lips into Elliot's flexed bicep. She felt a small shiver down her spine when she breathed in his scent.

"Hey Munch. Yeah, I just got here. I'm not sure. I can check." Elliot moved his phone away from his face and leaned down to whisper in Olivia's ear. "There's an emergency with the Maura Rouge case. They're wondering if you're feeling well enough to come in."

Olivia looked down at her stomach and closed her eyes. She could do this. She nodded to Elliot.

"Let's go."

~*~

"You feeling better Olivia?"

"I'm fine Captain."

"Good. We need all hands on deck for this one. The police who responded to a disturbance call found a body that had been raped and beaten. Upon further investigation the officers found movie equipment and a script entailing exactly what had happened to the Victim. The police identified the Vic as Maura Rouge."

"Somebody took their project way too far." Fin commented.

"Yeah, and now the director has finished a sequel." Munch threw in his two cents.

"Liv? You okay?" Attention shifted to the chalk-white Olivia. She was clutching to the side of her desk, swaying slightly. "Liv?" Elliot placed a hand on her back and positioned his other hand in front of her to cling to and support her weight.

"I- I need to go lie down…" Olivia whispered. Elliot shot Cragen a terrified look. The Captain nodded for Elliot to take her away. Olivia tried to stand with no support but she fell into Elliot's body. "Come on Liv." He led her slowly away from the squad room. She clung to his body. She was frustrated. The nausea and dizziness took over her mind and she didn't see that Elliot had led her to the elevator. He led her inside and pressed the button for the garage. The dizziness passed and Olivia was able to focus on her surroundings.

"Elliot- where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to the hospital."

Olivia turned whiter and shook her head while pressing the up button repeatedly. "I'm not going to the hospital."

"Liv-"

"No El."

"Liv, you've been sick for the past couple weeks. What if it's something serious?"

Olivia stared into Elliot's terrified eyes. She felt tears spill out of her own. She couldn't go to the hospital. Elliot would be so hurt if Olivia said she didn't want him in the exam room with her. Her secret would be revealed.

"Elliot, I don't need to go to the hospital. I know what's making me sick…"

The look of confusion on Elliot's face was almost too much for her to bear. The tears rolled down her cheeks freely.

"Liv, you're starting to scare me. Are you okay?"

Olivia wiped the tears from her face but they continued to rain from her chocolate browns. "I- I don't know what to-" she started before being cut off by a sob that caught in her throat. She tried vainly to maintain her composure, "Elliot- I'm pregnant."

The silence that rang in her ears made the tears pour even more.

"El- say something… Please. Elliot- come on." She sobbed.

Elliot let out a deep sigh. He rubbed his forehead with both hands in the frustrated fashion he frequently used when a perp had evaded him. "I- I don't know what- uh, what are we… what's the plan?"

Olivia crossed her arms over her chest, "I don't know. I'm so scared Elliot. I just don't know anymore. I can't do this alone." Her voice wavered from the un-surfaced tears in her throat.

"So… we're doing this?" He asked. Olivia stared at Elliot in shock.

"I- I didn't think you would be okay with any alternative- but I'm not sure how I feel if you are." Olivia started to turn away from Elliot and head into the garage. He followed her quickly and grabbed her wrist.

"Liv! Liv! Wait. I wouldn't be okay with it. I just thought that- I was afraid that you wouldn't care if I was okay with it."

"Elliot, we've know each other for twelve years. We are a team. I never make a decision without thinking about how it will effect you emotionally, physically and psychologically. Elliot- I need to know if we are in this together or if I am going to face this alone."

Elliot placed both hands on her shoulders and lowered his body slightly so he could gaze straight into her eyes. "Liv- I am in shock. I'm terrified. I'm confused. But I'm happy. I'm excited. It's unbelievable. But Liv, you know me. I'm a detail guy. I mean- It was hard enough to hide our relationship for this long. We were smart and we took space when we needed to. That's the reason we kept your apartment… We thought everything out. My kids think I'm celibate… Never mind some of the ideas Munch and Fin have come up with." Elliot paused to gather his thoughts when he realized he was rambling, "I just don't see how we can hide a baby from everyone."

Olivia smiled at her partner. He looked adorable in his confused, concerned state. "Babe, I don't think we can hide the baby… When I start to expand like a balloon there may be some raised eyebrows."

Elliot's face relaxed and then tensed again. "So you're saying we tell everyone?"

Olivia squeezed his arm to reassure him. "Not right away. This is a lot to adjust to… I want to wait a while, to make sure that this is going to happen. Make sure everything is okay with me a the baby. And we have to prepare for an IAB investigation… even the possibility of losing our jobs. There are two possibilities I've thought of… We tell everyone before I have to go on maternity leave and we deal with the shit storm together. Or we can keep it quiet and I'll announce that I'm going on maternity leave. You can stay at work…"

"And we just don't tell our child that I'm his or her father?"

"Of course we do Elliot! But that's wont come up for a while… And maybe by that point it will be time for us to move on from SVU…"

"I- I need to think about this…"

Olivia nodded. She was relieved that Elliot had responded positively.

"So… we're doing this." Olivia whispered. Elliot nodded and smiled. He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"We're having a baby…" his smile came through his voice.

"We're having a baby." Olivia happily confirmed.

~*~


	2. Star Matter

_love gets started next thing you know it leaves everything else behind love sets fire to your schedule and then calls an end to time__-Star Matter, Ani DiFranco_

"No. No way in hell."

"Elliot, you're being unreasonable."

"I don't think I am Liv. You're planning on working for how long?"

"Until my third trimester."

"No."

Olivia pouted and frowned at Elliot. "You can't just say no." She then flopped on the couch and glared at her partner.

"I can, and I did." He shot back as he chopped onions in the kitchen that was divided by a small half wall.

"El- I'll be fine."

"Doesn't matter. Cragen wont allow it. He's going to insist on you leaving at the very least by three months."

"Well we haven't told Cragen so he wont know in time to boot me out."

"Soon it's going to be impossible to hide Liv-" he turned to the stove and stirred the sauce that bubbled happily in front of him. The steam warmed his face and the onions sizzled as he threw them in to join the mash of sausages and tomatoes and peppers in the saucepan.

"Elliot, you are my partner. You'll make sure I don't chase perps or get shot at." She then sprawled out on the couch like a cat.

Elliot laughed out loud as he crushed garlic under his knife. "I'm flattered Liv but we both know that I have no control over you. If you want to chase a perp, I believe you'd be able to do it even at nine months. And I definitely cannot control if someone shoots at you. Now, come try this."

Olivia rolled off the couch and padded into the kitchen so she could sample the sauce that filled their house with it's aromatic fragrance. She felt her stomach grumble as Elliot held out a wooden spoon to her. She blew lightly before touching her tongue to the reddish-orange paste.

"Needs more salt." She stated matter-of-fact. Elliot could tell that she was frustrated with him and she was trying not to pout. He sighed and placed the spoon back in the pan.

"Liv. If you can't fit into a Kevlar vest, then you should not be in the field. Our child is coming into the world through you. I want our baby to be surrounded by the sounds of Mozart and Beethoven. At the very least Jack Johnson. Not surrounded by the sounds of gun shots and interrogation and rape victims." Olivia lowered her gaze and Elliot placed his hands on her waist. "Is that fair?"

"Yes and no." she whispered. "It's fair to you and for the baby, which is what's important, I know. But it's not fair to me. I'm good at my job Elliot. And I want to be certain of something. At least for now. Because soon enough I will be filled with doubt and fear and uncertainty- and I know you will be too but at least you get to stay at work. And you've done this before. You get to continue loving your job. And continue to be good at it." She furrowed her brow and separated from Elliot and turned her back on him. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Olivia," he stared at the back of her head, "I've never been able to make you do something you didn't want to do. But this time it's our child involved…"

"And you're not going to be happy with me working that long." She sighed. She turned back around and faced Elliot. "We can tell the captain at three months… Then it will be up to him. But what if I promise to not work any more than five months in? At the very least let me work office duty. I'll stay out of the field, I wont interrogate and I'll be extra support."

Elliot smiled, "And during all this, no one is supposed to know the little one is mine?"

"Yeah… Are you still okay with that?"

"I want to tell someone." Elliot dropped the bomb that Olivia feared would explode for weeks now.

"Like who?" she whispered.

"Anybody. I'm excited Liv. I want to be excited for the baby to come. I want to get at least one present addressed to the both of us. "

"Well, what if we told family?"

"Depends on what family… I couldn't tell Kathy… She's still bitter. Too unpredictable. She might report us."

"What about your kids?"

"I could only tell Maureen… The others would tell Kathy."

"I want to tell Simon." Olivia felt a small gush of pride at the idea that she had someone to tell. Elliot nodded in agreement.

"Do we tell them together or alone?" Elliot asked.

"Jesus, alone! I don't know about you, but the idea of facing Maureen is absolutely terrifying to my. I've known her since she was still figuring puberty out…"

Elliot laughed and kissed Olivia on the forehead to calm her down, "Fair enough. Do you want me to come with you to tell Simon?"

"Frankly El, the last time Simon saw you, you were aiming a gun at his head. But I definitely think you should get to know him."

"Alright…?" he uncertainly asked, "How?"

"I'll tell him while you're telling Maureen… Then we can have dinner with Simon, here… Only this time I wont let you burn the sauce." She looked over Elliot's should to see a billowing of black smoke rise from the saucepan.

~*~

Elliot stared at a photo of himself and the twins sitting at the beach. The seashell frame was on the mantle over Maureen's faux fireplace. Maureen and her roommate lived in a simple apartment. Cozy and pleasant. The smell of sweet tea filled the living room with Maureen's entrance from the kitchen. She brought along a black tea pot and two mugs.

"Come sit." Maureen placed the tea set on her wooden coffee table. Elliot walked over to a large armchair and he sat on the very edge of his seat. Maureen sat on the matching couch across from him. She poured the tea and handed Elliot a steaming cup. Elliot couldn't believe how nervous he was. He knew Maureen was the safest person to tell but he still feared a negative backlash.

"So, what's going on daddy?" Elliot smiled at the sound of her tiny voice using the only name she called him. His daughter sipped from her mug and gazed at her father innocently.

"Mo- first things first, is that you have to keep everything I tell you confidential. You tell no one. Not even Kathleen or mom. Especially not mom." He blabbered.

"Dad, you're freaking me out."

"I came to you because I trust you. I could lose my job and pension if I'm wrong."

"Jesus dad, you didn't kill someone did you?"

Elliot sighed. It was now or never. "On the contrary. I'm going to have a baby."

Maureen stared at her father in disbelief. "Seriously? Jesus Christ."

"Maureen-" he warned. It still bothered him to hear his Lord's name used in vain.

"At your age? With who? Please don't tell me she's my age. Mom is going to freak out! Kathleen! Dickie and Lizzie! Wait…" Maureen slowed down and narrowed her eyes at her father, "Why could you lose your job? She's not under 18 is she?" Elliot shook his head.

"It's Olivia." With that statement Maureen dropped her mug and it spilled tea all over the floor. Elliot jumped up to help but Maureen stopped him.

"Sit!" She barked and Elliot sat down in the chair as Maureen draped a tea towel over the wet floor and allowed the cotton fibers to soak up the liquid. She then sat down on the couch again. She stared at her father. He was unable to read his eldest daughter's expression.

"So- is this the real reason you and mom split? Was mom right? You were with Olivia this whole time?"

"No Maureen. I was faithful to your mother."

"Oh sure. You just loved Olivia more."

"Maureen, I loved your mother. But I love Olivia. We've been together for almost a year."

Maureen calmed down slightly. "Is Olivia okay?"

"She's scared. Neither of us thought this would happen. But we're excited too."

"So- I'm going to be a big sister again?"

"If you're willing."

"And why am I not allowed to tell anyone?"

"Because Olivia and I are going to get serious shit for this. We may lose our jobs and we are definitely going to be scrutinized, investigated and put on trial. They may transfer us away from each other. This time is like our last hurrah as partners. Then we'll be ready to partner as parents." Elliot looked back at Maureen and realized she was smiling, "What?" he asked, surprised by the change in his daughters attitude.

"You're glowing! Jesus!"

"Maureen." Elliot tried a warning tone but Maureen just giggled.

"You're head over heels for her! Look how excited you are! I've never seen you this excited for anything!"

"I've been this excited before." He defended himself.

"Riiight, when?" she challenged.

"When I found out about you." Maureen smiled at the sweet comment her father left with her.

"Dad, your secret is safe with me. I might tell Johnny but no one else." Maureen referenced her boyfriend. "I'm happy for you. Tell Olivia I say 'congratulations'. This is good." She stood and hugged her father tightly. Elliot squeezed her back and kissed her on the cheek.

"I have to go. We're telling Olivia's brother tonight.:

"Why didn't Olivia come with you to tell me?"

"She's a little terrified of everyone finding out. Plus, I think it would have been a little cruel to tell you when you didn't even know I was seeing someone."

"Good point."

~*~

Next chapter:

Olivia tells Simon, some E/O fluff and some challenges are thrown their way... Review please!


	3. Heartbreak Even

_you try not to let your emotions show, but it ain't a balloon you can just let go, it's an ice cream cone dripping in the sun, sticky hands, sticky arms, sticky situation...__-Heartbreak Even, Ani DiFranco_

~*~

"Simon- I'm going to have a baby…"

"Oh my God! Olivia! That's fantastic! Are you excited?"

"Very excited!" Simon embraced his sister in a hug.

"How far along are you?" he asked.

"Two and a half months."

"Who's the father?"

"Uh, my partner."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to assume a man…"

Olivia felt her heart burst with amusement. "No Simon!" she laughed, "Elliot Stabler. He's my partner on the force."

Simon laughed before cocking his head at Olivia, "Isn't that against the rules?"

Olivia sighed and nodded. "It's frowned upon. They usually transfer someone. But neither of us wanted to give up our jobs. And we didn't want the other to give up their job either. So we decided to keep it under wraps for a while."

"And a while turned into a year and a baby? How did you two even function as a couple? Did you ever do anything outside of busting bad guys and sleeping together?"

Olivia frowned at Simon's concerns but addressed them, "Of course! Everybody knows that we're best friends. That gave us a lot of excuses. Plus, there was always makeout on the stakeout." She winked at Simon who groaned in a very little brotherly manner.

Simon looked at the on the wall behind the stove that Olivia was stirring pasta on. "What time is Elliot getting here?"

"He should be here soon. He was telling his oldest daughter today. This is a big secret for us. Nobody can know because if it gets back to the force- we're done."

"It's a little difficult to hide a baby. How're you going to manage that?"

"We're still figuring out the details. But one thing we needed to do was tell someone who would be happy for us."

"Won't your friends be happy?"

"They will be eventually. But first they're going to be pissed that we hid it from them."

"Then why not tell them straight up?"

Olivia frowned at Simon's challenge and pretended to focus on the pasta in front of her. "Because I don't want them to think that the only reason we're telling them is because of the baby." She shot back.

"Well, isn't it?" Simon was thrown a shocked look from Olivia. He shrugged in response, "Obviously you care about them. But you didn't tell them about your relationship with Elliot for a reason. And if it weren't for the baby you wouldn't even consider telling them anything. Why not just fess up and allow them to adjust and move on?"

"My job-"

Simon cut her off, "Olivia, who knows. Maybe nothing will happen. You two have been working successfully as a couple for a year."

"They worry about corruption- they think couples have covered for each other in the past-"

"Have you?"

"Of course not! Our relationship doesn't affect our jobs. We don't allow it to. We have had feelings for each other for longer than two years… we were worse off as partners when we couldn't be together. We fought more."

"Do you still fight?"

"Of course! We disagree on cases all the time! But we treat each other with respect and we're more patient with each other. And we talk it out now. We're not allowed to ignore each other."

"Sounds like a healthy relationship."

"It is. We're happy. I still love him so much it hurts. We both work incredibly hard to make sure that we respect ourselves and each other and our love. I never knew that a relationship could be like this. It's amazing." Olivia absent-mindedly stirred the pasta.

"Then why hide that?" Simon asked and Olivia turned to face her brother. "You should be celebrating your love! Wanting to shout it from the rooftops! Why are you burying it?"

Olivia's eyes filled with tears as she shook her head at Simon. "I- Because I'm afraid that we'll wreck it. That by changing the secrecy of it- everyone will be waiting for us to fail."

"Olivia, you're having a baby together and you're both happy about it! You didn't trap him. He was so excited that he told his daughter. Olivia- he loves you. Make sure he knows you love him. This is not a one-way street."

Olivia sniffed, smiled and rolled her eyes, "Okay Dr. Phil." She teased. As much as she deflected his speech, he knew the speech had sunk in.

The sudden sound of a key in the door caused the siblings to face the door. Elliot walked in and Olivia rushed from the kitchen into his arms. He staggered slightly with the force she threw her body at him with. He wrapped his arms tightly around her as she breathed in his scent of white musk and sandalwood mixed with the brisk fall air from outside. She buried her face in his broad chest and nuzzled him slightly. He kissed the top of her head and nuzzled his nose into her hair, inhaling the scent of vanilla and boutique flowers and the warm smell of cinnamon buns.

"You okay?" he whispered, sensing she was in slight distress.

"Let's talk about it later." She murmured into his chest.

Simon cleared his throat, causing Olivia to step back from Elliot.

"Congratulations Elliot." Simon held his hand out to Elliot and they smiled as they shook. Simon then took Olivia in a playful headlock.

"You're domesticating my sister. Only a very special guy could do that." Elliot laughed and nodded in agreement.

~*~

Sorry for the short chapter! Coming up... E/O Fluff and someone who wasn't supposed to know... does. Read, Review and Peace out!


	4. Smiling Underneath

**_Author's Note: Smiling Underneath is one of my top E/O songs. I love it. I listened to it while I was writing this whole part. I recommend you check it out! Maybe listen to it while reading!_**

_i don't mind spilling my hot souce onto my white shirt,  
i don't mind the twinge when i walk in that knee that i hurt,  
i don't mind if my gums are peeling back or my hair getting thin,  
as long as i'm with you i win,  
as long as i'm with you,_

_we could be stuck in traffic for over a week ,  
with a car full of quintuplets who are all cutting teeth,  
around my neck could be a flaming christmas wreath,  
and i'd be smiling under smiling under smiling underneath,_

_** -Smiling Underneath, Ani DiFranco**_

~*~

Olivia was crawling into bed, pulling the huge brown comforter over her body. She wore a simple white cotton tank top and green striped shorts to bed while Elliot wore plaid pajama bottoms. He edged into bed next to her. They laid apart, staring at the ceiling. Silence washing over them. Suddenly Elliot threw one arm over Olivia's stomach, wrapped it around her side and pulled her to his body. Olivia giggled and turned her body to face him. Their grinning eyes stared into each other's faces. Elliot kept his arm slung over her body and rested his hand on the small of her back. She bent her elbows so her arms rested against her body and her hands rested on his chest. They pressed their foreheads together and closed their smiling eyes. They laid together as if a serene Romeo and Juliet. They allowed each other's warmth and scents to wash over each other before Elliot moved his mouth to her neck. Olivia arches her head back to allow Elliot better access.

"How did everything with Maureen go?" she whispered as he nibbled on her ear.

"Fine. She was shocked at first but she calmed down. What about Simon?" Olivia let a small gasp out as Elliot found the most sensitive bit of her neck and his lips worked their magic on it.

"He's-" Olivia was having trouble stringing her words together as his fingers created small circles above the elastic of her shorts, "He's happy. He thinks we should just-" Elliot ran his free hand through her hair and kissed her eyelids gently, "-thinks we should just tell everyone right away."

Elliot jerked his head backwards and squinted at Olivia. She felt her body hurtle back down to Earth as he broke the physical connection.

"Why?" he asked skeptically.

Olivia re-explained what Simon has said to her earlier in the night. She was surprised to see Elliot nodding when she finished.

"What do you think?" she asked at the end of her rushed explanation. Elliot had furrowed his brow in thought.

"And how do you feel about it?" he asked.

"I- I agree with him. But I want to wait a few more weeks… Just so I feel more secure in this whole thing. Are you okay with that?"

Elliot slowly nodded. "Might as well… Hopefully people will be happier that we didn't keep it a secret for longer… Try and keep everyone pleased. Simon is right, maybe everyone will be fine with it…"

Olivia smiled. His sleepy smile eclipsed her doubt and apprehension for their uncertain future lives. She didn't mind how scared she was. Being with him made her smile underneath. Even when she couldn't remember to smile on the surface. She remembered Simon's last piece of advice to her. "Hey El?"

Elliot had closed his eyes slightly and dozily stared at Olivia's lips. "Mmhm?" he murmured.

"I love you." She whispered before leaning in and kissing the very corner of his lips.

~*~

"YOU GOT HER PREGNANT?!"

Olivia spun around to see Elliot on the phone. The look of terror on his face mirrored her own. He caught her glance and mouthed "Kathleen". Olivia groaned and closed her eyes in grief.

"Kathleen, calm down. Who told you?"

"Johnny. Maureen forgot to tell him is was a secret so he congratulated me on becoming a big sister."

Olivia ran her hands through her hair with anxiety. Elliot pinched his brow bridge.

"Kathleen, I was going to tell you soon. I promise." He lied to calm his daughter down.

"Olivia? Seriously dad? Mom is going to FREAK OUT!"

"So, you haven't told her yet?" Elliot asked. Silence rang in his ears.

"No." she finally muttered in return, "Not yet."

Elliot sighed with relief. "Okay, Kathleen, don't tell her yet. Please."

"Why?! Dad, I should just hang up on you right now!"

"Kathleen, I could lose my job." He pleaded.

"Good." She barked back.

"So could Olivia." When Kathleen didn't respond, he knew he had said the right thing. Kathleen liked Olivia. More than she liked her father.

"I promise I will tell your mother and the twins soon. Olivia and I just need to sort a few things out. Please…" Silence greeted him again, "Kathleen?"

"Are you happy?" his daughter whispered as Olivia walked up behind him and took his hand in hers. Elliot smiled.

"I'm really happy Kathleen. I'd be happier knowing you're okay and you're happy with me too."

Olivia wrapped her arms around Elliot and pressed her chest into his back. She rested her hands on his chest and completed their standing spoon. She waited for Kathleen's response with baited breath.

"I guess… if you're happy, I'm happy too." Olivia could feel Elliot release the breath he had been holding. She warmed the fabric of his shirt with her own unspoken liberation.

"Thank you Kathleen… Listen hun, I have to get to work. But we will talk again soon, okay?"

"Bye dad."

"I love you Kathleen."

"Love you too."

Elliot hung up his phone and stood like a dead weight. Olivia pressed her face into his back and they reflected on their luck. Kathleen could have easily turned on them and told everyone. Finally Elliot broke their tranquil hush and he turned to the woman who possessed his spirit, mind and heart.

"So… Kathleen called…" he teasingly pointed out. Olivia smiled warily.

"Are we okay?"

Elliot sighed and ran his hands over his face in exhaustion. "I think we may need to go to Cragen sooner rather than later. I mean, I want to trust Kathleen but she's a bit unpredictable… if you know what I mean…" Suddenly a look of realization filled his eyes. "Oh God, I didn't even think of that- Kathleen's condition runs in my genes- what if-" Olivia rubbed Elliot's arm to calm him down.

"It's okay El. If it comes up, we'll deal with it. Don't worry about it for now. We have plenty to be worried about right now. You don't need to worry about anything else that may come up in the future."

Elliot nodded distractedly and Olivia knew he was still thinking about the future. She smiled and put her hands up to his cheeks and gently led him down to her lips. She captured him fully with her mouth and cajoled his tongue to join in a dance with hers. He rested his hands on her waist and pulled her hips into contact with his. Their breathing became warm and intense as the heat of their kiss built. Elliot groaned when they parted from their lips services. Olivia rested her arms on his shoulders and dropped her head onto his chest.

"We- we have to go to work…" she whimpered.

"Let's go…" he sighed.

"When do we tell Cragen?" She asked quietly while collecting her jacket from the armchair beside her.

Elliot shook his head in uncertainty, "I guess we wait until the moment is right."

~*~

Next... could be a few possibilities... will they tell Cragen?


	5. Pulse

Here we are! Sorry it took so long!

_And I held you there thinking I would offer you my pulse -  
If I thought it would be useful. -  
I would give you my breath except the problem with death -  
Is we have some hundred years and then they can build -  
Buildings on our only bones. - _

_-Pulse, Ani DiFranco_

* * *

Olivia ran as hard and fast as she could. She avoided a crowd of tourists with their video cameras fixed on the pursuit they had suddenly become spectators of. She silently cursed the people blocking her view of Ryan Turner, a suspect in the case of the overzealous movie director and murders. Her skin prickled with adrenaline and sweat. She could see the suspect ahead of her, dodging groups of bargain hunters and school kids. Olivia narrowly missed running into a light post and she jumped over a woman's golden retriever as if she was an olympic hurdler. Her radio crackling failed to distract her from the goal ahead. Adrenaline filled her veins, the sweaty breath that filled the atmosphere around her was unsuccessful at suffocating her. She weaved in and out of pedestrians, smoothly, like a fish in water. The rush she was feeling was almost better than sex. Turner had avoided being hit by a truck and Olivia was quick enough to run around the truck and gain a few more feet in the chase. Her heart pounded and her head felt as if it would explode but the energy radiating from her core kept her going.

"Officers in pursuit of a suspect fleeing by foot on 123rd and Hunter Avenue. Requesting backup. Olivia- pull back!" crackled the radio but she ignored it. Her body had worked too hard to just stop for no reason. She watched as Turner jumped a tall fence into a construction site. Olivia seemed to climb as fast as a cat and landed amongst the lumber and piles of dirt swiftly and smoothly. She re-started her ground pursuit with no hesitation. Clearing a large hole with one long jump she had gained considerable ground while Turner had run around the hole to avoid it. She was suddenly much closer to her goal and she could feel her body pushing harder and harder. She managed to land one, two, three fingers on the denim jacket before her and they suddenly tumbled hitting the ground. The pair rolled and spilled into the street. The sound of screeching tires filled the air like some awful animal as Olivia felt pressure on her body like never before. Her head cracked as glass shattered around her and then the city around her went black.

* * *

"Officers in pursuit of a suspect fleeing by foot on 123rd and Hunter Avenue. Requesting backup. Olivia- pull back!" Elliot shouted into his radio. He had hit a dog walker and her pack, preventing him for maintaining the visual on his partner. No response came from the solid black box in his hand. He knew she had ignored him. Hell, he would have done the same thing. Elliot ran swiftly through the crowds and he saw Olivia jumping the fence of a construction site. His eyes frantically searched for a way to catch up with his better half. He then saw that the construction site was surrounded by scaffolding. He could climb up on the metal pathways and cut over the site and cut off the chase on the other side. He climbed up the metal scaffolding and lobbied himself up and over the barrier and he sidestepped the caution tape discouraging him from the dangerous task ahead of him. He landed with his feet flat on the aluminum pathway. He ran rapidly straight to the other side of the site. He approached the rail when a commotion below caught his attention. Olivia and Turner had stumbled through the broken chain link fence and into the road. The smell of burning rubber filled his senses before the visual and pandemonium of the scene caught up to his brain.

"Olivia!" his hoarse voice cut through the air as his partner hit the ground with a deafening thump. Silence filled his brain. He didn't even feel himself land on the cement below him. His heart beat along with his shoes upon the sidewalk. He didn't know how he ended up beside Olivia.

"Liv- Livia- Wake up-" He shook her gently in the hopes of stirring her to consciousness.

"Elliot, don't touch her- she could have a neck injury." Fin's voice seemed to be coming to Elliot under water. The pulse in his ears was vociferous.

"Call a bus!" He yelled to no one in particular. "Oh God oh God..." He whispered. He lifted Olivia's bloodied hand to his mouth, "Come on, come on..." There was still no response and his heart hammered against his chest as the dark rubies of Olivia's innermost self spilled onto Elliot and ran into the cracks of the concrete she lay broken upon.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter! Next part will be longer... I hope.

Woah, what is that? Is that a review button? It is?! Well, you should check that out...


	6. Rockabye

**Authors Note: WOAH! SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I apologize for the crap shortness of this chapter... But I promise more is coming! I just moved out of my old place and I no longer have regular access to a computer so I'm stuck writing my stories the old fashioned way and then attempting to type them up when I can. Please forgive me...**

**

* * *

_rockabye, rockabye baby rockabye, the baby that is me rockabye, rockabye baby rockabye till i'm fast asleep__-Ani DiFranco, Rockabye_**

* * *

"Elliot. Elliot. Stop pacing. You're making me dizzy." Fin tried to convince Elliot to calm down. Elliot ignored him and continued to pace.

"Cragen's on his way." Munch tried to distract Elliot. The efforts failed again.

"I- I'm gunna check in with the doctors." Elliot muttered and wandered off down the hallway. He approached the desk outside the emergency wing. "I'm looking for an update on Detective Olivia Benson." He murmured to the nurse sitting behind the counter. She arched her eyebrow at him and sighed.

"And who are you?"

"I'm her partner… I really need to see the doctor. It's concerning a condition Detective Benson has." He lied.

"Well, I'm sure the doctor would rather speak to her next of kin." The nurse commented. Elliot shook his head in disagreement.

"She has no next of kin. I'm her emergency contact."

"Okay… well, I'll call into the trauma room. See if someone can come out and talk to you."

Elliot tapped on the counter and nodded. "Thank you."

He watched as the nurse picked up the phone and dialed. She turned her back to Elliot so he was unable to hear her conversation. Elliot's gaze wandered around the beige hallways and down the hallway with doors that shouted "AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY". The young nurse captured his attention again when she hung up the phone.

"I'm sorry Detective but everyone is busy working on your partner. No one can come out yet." Elliot frowned at the nurse. He started to feel his chest tighten and his heart beat faster.

"Why are they so busy? What's going on?"

"I'm sorry but a doctor will have to update you."

"I need to know what's going on with my partner."

"Sir, please go to the waiting room and someone will come and update you as soon as they can."

Elliot could feel his heart pounding and his face getting warmer with each passing moment. He could hear the pulsing in his ears. It was uncomfortable and causing the room to spin. Elliot shook his head, "No. I'm not waiting." With that remark, Elliot rushed past the desk and through the doors that said he was prohibited from entering.

"Sir! You can't go in there!" The nurse ran after him but he was able to out-walk her and he found himself stare through an open door that people dressed in scrubs were hurrying in and out of. Machines blared loudly and angrily at the room. Proclaiming the distress that Olivia was in.

"Her BP's dropping! Someone call the blood bank! I need 2 liters of O-Neg. Someone call up to neurology, get Dr. Popkin down here now!"

"BP is 60 over 40."

"Push one of epi."

"Pupils are equal and reactive." Elliot stared as a young doctor rubbed her fist in the middle of Olivia's chest.

"We need to get her to CT- now!"

"She needs to stabilize first! Epi is working, BP is coming up."

Elliot felt his head spinning. He didn't even notice the nurse pulling on his arm and trying to persuade him to leave.

"Let's get her up to CT. Dr. Popick is waiting there." The youthful woman who appeared to be managing the room declared stridently over the now stabilized beeping of the machines hooked up to Olivia. She then turned and caught Elliot in her eyesight.

"I'm sorry sir, you can't be back here. Mia, get her out of here."

"I'm trying Dr. Hammond."

Elliot frowned and stepped through the double doors. "I can't leave. She's my partner."

"Detective, we need to bring her upstairs to do more tests. To understand why she isn't regaining consciousness."

Elliot nodded in agreement but he walked over to the gurney Olivia laid out on. Exposed and vulnerable. He placed a hand on her stomach and one on her forehead. Blood trickled down her face from a large gash on her hairline. Elliot was surprised to see tears on her cheeks. She was in pain. He closed his eyes in distress. "Please wake up Liv…" He whispered. He then turned to the doctor. "She's pregnant. 3 months. I just wanted to make sure you knew that… and make sure you were checking on the baby."

Doctor Hammond nodded solemnly. "We did an ultrasound of the belly to check for any bleeds."

Elliot looked up at the doctor. "Is the baby okay?"

Doctor Hammond nodded again, "Strong steady heartbeat."

Elliot felt like a rush of relief hit him like a ton of bricks. He nodded, thankful for the small piece of good news.

"Detective, do you want to call the father?"

Elliot swallowed and shook his head, "Uh, no. Any information you have needs to come to me. And she didn't want anyone else in our squad to know about the pregnancy so discretion is appreciated."

"Of course detective." Olivia was wheeled away from him and he was left alone in the green trauma room except for the nurse who had tried to stop him.

"Sir, you need to go back to the waiting room."

Elliot slowly nodded and tried to bite back the burning tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

* * *

Hazy, white light filled Olivia's brown eyes. She could feel the heaviness of her eyelids slowly blinking. The foggy whitness started to form into shapes and her eyes focused on the bright green lights coming from the machine monitoring her vital signs. Beeping and breathing filled her ears. She sluggishly tried to lift her head but it was too heavy. She whimpered, praying that someone was there to hear her. She felt light pressure on her hand and Elliot's face appeared before her eyes.

"Olivia? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Mmhm." It was if the sound from her throat caused a shooting pain through her body. She arched her back and moaned in grief. Her hand clutched Elliot's tighter and her eyes found his. She could feel the tears dripping off of her cheeks. She had never felt so out of control of her body. The weight that held her down was so oppressive that she could not help the tears that were spilling from her. She was so aware of the pain but had no idea how to stop it. She choked on the painful sobs that were rising from her chest. She launched her body up from the hospital bed and Elliot caught her shoulders with his hands.

"Woah- Liv, lay down. Olivia, it's ok."

A rough sob escaped from her body and she rested her face in Elliot's shoulder. Her body shook with weeping and Elliot attempted to sooth her.

"It's okay Liv… you're okay. The baby is okay…"

Olivia's tears soaked through Elliot's shirt and mixed with the sweat from his worry. She slowly regained her composure and tried to push the fear from her body. She placed a hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. She had been so close. So close to losing everything.

"It's not okay." She whispered with her tired voice, "That- that was too close El… I can't be working while I'm pregnant."

Elliot was able to keep the smile from his lips because he understood the weight of Olivia's statement. She was admitting defeat. Elliot nodded his support and he squeezed her hand. He leaned in and kissed her softly. He was terrified to hurt her. The nasty scratches on her forehead, cheekbone and chin were heated and crimson. Sickly yellow bruises surrounding the clotted blood made the marks seem angrier than they were. Deep blue bruises covered her arms and legs and Elliot knew they would go through a long recovery process before Olivia's olive skin would return to its full glory. She was a disaster.

"We will talk to Cragen as soon as you are up and on your feet."

* * *

**AN: Sooooo.... I just moved... and a good housewarming gift is an eensy review! I can take it anywhere I go!**


	7. Lag Time

AHHHH! Im so sorry for the long break! It's so hard balancing life and obsessions at the same time... I finally bought a computer so I'll hopefully be updating a bit more!

* * *

survivors are part turtle/ we are part potato bug/ we know enough to go fetal/ 'til it's still up above/ and you gotta crawl through the desert/ between when you hear it / and when you can play it with your hands/ just to rendezvous with whoever you are / when you finally understand/ -Ani DiFranco "Lag Time"

* * *

Olivia winced as a deliveryman bumped her while she was leaving the elevator. She felt a soft touch on her wrist and she turned to see Elliot reaching for her. She pursed her lips and breathed deeply. Two weeks had passed since the accident. Her bruises were a sick yellow colour and her cuts were healing nicely. Her stomach had also grown more and she could feel the baby move around inside her. In order to hide the small bulge she wore a slimming black sweater with loose jeans. Olivia turned her gaze to their Captain's door and her face emptied of colour.

"You two look like ghost-twins." Elliot and Olivia turned to see Fin standing at the entrance of their office. Olivia looked over to Elliot and smiled when she saw that he was wearing a black button-up and jeans.

"Ghost twins?" Munch asked as he came up behind Fin.

"Look how white they are. They look like they died or something." Fin teased. Elliot frowned and nodded towards Cragen's office.

"Cragen in yet?" he asked.

Munch nodded, "Yeah. He said to send Olivia in, as soon as she got here."

"It's good to see you girl. You feeling better?" Fin hugged Olivia lightly, attempting to spare her from any un-necessary pain.

Olivia attempted a smile and nodded. She was afraid to open her mouth, worried that her nerves would cause her to throw up if she didn't keep her mouth shut.

Munch gave her shoulder a gentle rub, "We missed you around here."

"Thanks John." Olivia whispered. She then motioned towards the bear's den, "I better get this over with."

"I'll go with you." Elliot placed a hand on the small of her back and led her into Cragen's office.

The room was dark and musty. It was too late in the morning for lamps to be on but to early for a good amount of natural light to spill in from the hallways and squad room. Cragen looked up from his paperwork and smiled at his golden-child. Olivia still looked like hell, but she had improved to the third circle, instead of the seventh.

"Olivia. Good to see you."

"Thanks Captain. It's good to be back."

"You sure you're feeling up to returning?"

"I think so. I... I just have to clear something up with you first. Before I can responsibly return to work." Olivia's voice wavered slightly.

Cragen frowned but nodded, "Alright. Does Elliot need to be in here for this?" He nooded toward the stone-faced detective standing at the door of the office. Olivia bit her lip and nodded.

"Don..." Cragen raised his eyebrow to his first name being used by one of his detectives but he let it slide, "We have to tell you something... But we want you to know that... that everything we did, keeping it all a secret, not telling you, it was all to protect us. To keep us healthy. We didn't want any repercussions for you either..."

Cragen shook his head, "I think I see where this is going and if I'm right, I don't want to know. I haven't noticed anything to warrant concern and if you bring what you're hinting about to my attention then I will have to do something about it... I can't give you a free pass if I know about it."

Olivia smiled bitterly, "We'd love to keep it to ourselves Captain... but... extenuating circumstances have led us to the point where we have to tell you..."

Cragens frown deepened, "You didn't do something illegal, did you?"

Both Olivia and Elliot shook their heads, "No." Olivia whispered. She had reached a point where she was unable to speak. She felt like a teenage girl, telling her father that her boyfriend had knocked her up. She was ashamed and scared. But even though it felt like Cragen would not forgive her or Elliot, she knew that he had a soft spot in his heart for his lead detectives. Still, words would not come and Olivia turned to Elliot, begging him with her eyes, to take over.

Elliot stepped forward and placed his hand on Olivia's back. "Captain, Olivia is pregnant."

The silence that filled the room was deafening. Cragen stared at his desk, seemingly stunned into submission. The hustle and bustle of the squadroom flooded the small office when the door opened.

"Guys, Ryan Turner escaped from the hospital. He was spotted on 8th and 9th, between 91st." Munch notified the silent trio. He then realized he had walked in on something and back pedaled, "Fin and I are on the way out. Catch up when you can." He then shut the door, leaving Cragen to address the couple standing before him. The intensity that he held in his eyes caused Olivia to shrink back. She was suddenly very afraid of her boss and she regretted every word that had come from her mouth.

"You two will keep this quiet until I make my decision on how to handle this situation. Elliot, join Munch and Fin out in the field. Olivia, you stay here."

Olivia immediately felt the desire to argue but stopped herself and nodded. Cragen stood and left his office without another word, leaving Elliot and Olivia to stand in silent fear of what was to come.

* * *

Olivia stared at the glowing computer screen sitting on her desk. She had been alone for five hours. Cragen had left and not returned, Elliot, Munch and Fin were still in the field. She hated the unsettling silence that at filled the squadroom. The other employees of the department knew something was wrong, otherwise, Olivia would be in the field with her partner.

Then, as quiet as the room had been, it became equally as loud. Elliot and Fin were dragging in the very loud, angry, struggling body of Ryan Turner. The shouting filled the room, causing Olivia to jump from her desk and follow the boys into the interrogation room. Elliot slammed Turner down into the chair and Fin quickly handcuffed him to the legs.

"Hey! Hey! You asshole pigs! You can't handcuff me!"

The officers took a step away and each one crossed their arms over their chests. They created a sneering, glaring square of authority figures. Turner continued to struggle until his eyes landed on Olivia.

"Hey- hey, you're that bitch who threw me into that car. Broke my nose!"

Elliot smoothly smacked Turner in the back of the head, "You don't talk to her."

Turner ginned, "You still got some bruises. You took the impact of that car... banged you up pretty nasty, hey?"

This time Fin took a swing with the palm of his hand and hit Turner squarely in the back of his head, "Scum like you don't get to address the lady."

Turner grinned again and Olivia glared. She knew that it was her choice to chase Turner that day, and that's what led to the accident, but her hatred for the danger he put her child in did not cease.

"Seems like your guard dogs think you're too good for me. But I'm sure you and I could find something to... do..." The sickening tone in Turners voice led Munch to join in the questionable abuse game and he smacked Turner, just as his partner had.

"Shut up." Turner didn't re-set his eyes on Olivia, instead he turned to Munch.

"Fine."

"Now, are you done being an asshole? Can we uncuff you?" Fin asked.

Turner glared. "I'll sit nice. Promise."

Fin unlocked the silver restraints around Turner's wrists. Turner rubbed his red skin while Fin and Munch left the room. Elliot walked around the table and stood, intimidatingly over top of the criminal before him.

"Now, you care to explain what happened? Why you killed the women in your movies?" Elliot quickly realized that Turner was staring at Olivia again and sneering.

"You're their little moppet, aren't you?" Turner nodded his head towards Elliot, "You say "jump" they say "how hi?" Am I right?"

Olivia grinned menacingly, "They're my equals."

"Sure they are. But really, you're the superior one. You may be younger, lower in rank, a woman," Olivia glared at the sexist comment, "But you hold all the power. Because they'd do anything for you... Anything to keep you safe..." The tone in Turner's voice suddenly made Elliot very nervous. He landed his eyes on Olivia.

"Detective, can you go get the file?"

Olivia grinned, "No. That's just what he wants... He's intimidated by me... He's afraid of confident women."

Turner laughed. "You believe I think you're confident? I can see right through you Detective. You're terrified. It's why you're partner here is itching to push you out of the room. You're all so afraid of me that your co-workers don't even want their little Isabella Goodwin in the same room as me."

Olivia let out a disbelieving laugh, "We're not afraid of you. We've got bigger fish to fry." She then leaned in, almost nose to nose with the murderer, "You're small potatoes." She whispered.

Turner's smug grin turned into a nasty sneer. The movement was faster than lightning. Turner had flipped Olivia around and he was suddenly standing with a knife to her neck and an arm around her stomach.

The door to the interrogation room burst open. Munch and Fin came rushing in, guns drawn and pointing at Turner and Olivia.

"Go ahead! Shoot me. I'll take you're little bebe with me."

Elliot held his hand out to Munch and Fin, signaling to lower their guns slightly.

"What do you want?" He whispered. His eyes could not break from the silver glint that pressed against Olivia's throat. The fear in her eyes was so plain and open. She was terrified. Turner's hand spread across her stomach and he grasped at the flesh that guarded the partner's secret.

"Out. I leave alive, she stays alive."

"Fine. You can leave- Detectives, back away from the door. Let Mr. Turner through." Ryan held Olivia close as he dragged her across the interrogation room, towards the door. He dragged her through the shocked staff in the squadroom, towards the door that led to the stairs. He opened the door, threw Olivia at Elliot and bolted, as fast as a flash, out of sight.

Elliot held Olivia at arms length as Fin and Munch chased after Turner.

"You ok?"

Olivia held her hand to her neck and a small amount of blood rubbed off onto her fingers. She nodded her head in response. "I'm ok. Just a flesh wound. I'll get it fixed." She already knew that Elliot was going after Turner. He was just waiting for permission. "Go get him."

Elliot squeezed her shoulders before running down the stairwell after the man who had threatened the life of his partner and child, twice. Olivia secretly hoped that Elliot would catch Turner before Fin and Munch did, just so a few cheap shots would be laid in before they dragged the scumbag back upstairs.

The sudden overwhelming feeling of panic raised in Olivia's throat when she realized what had almost happened. Again. She could feel the crowd coming around her, people staring down the stairwell, others watching the elevator, others on their cell phones- calling officers downstairs to aid the detectives in their pursuit.

But Olivia was unable to focus on them. Her mind had gone fuzzy and her body felt hot. She was swaying slightly before suddenly hitting the ground and her mind went black.

* * *

AN: There's this pesky thing that keeps catching my eye at the bottom of the screen. i tried to rub it off but it just wouldn't leave so I clicked on it and it lead to this handy dandy page where you can review stories! It was fun! And useful! And encouraging!


	8. Hypnotized

AN: The end of this chapter is _slightly_ mature... nothing too risque but just to be safe- a warning for all! :)

* * *

**i was surrounded by a language/in which i could say only hello/**

**and thank you very much/but you spoke so i could understand/**

**and i drew a treasure map on your hand/**

**-Ani DiFranco "Hypnotized"**

* * *

"Detective Benson?"

Olivia's eyes opened to the blurry face of a regular volunteer around the squadroom, who's name she had never bothered to remember. Her vision was blurry but clearing up quickly.

"You passed out. Are you ok?"

Olivia swallowed and nodded as she sat up, "I'm fine. How long was I out?"

"Just a couple of minutes." a female voice piped in as Olivia was handed a glass of water. Olivia gratefully took the h2o and drank it back as if she had just come from the Sahara.

"Did they catch Turner?"

"We haven't heard anything." Another anonymous voice pitched in.

Olivia then slowly stood up and staggered slightly and a hand came out to support her.

"Olivia, come with me." Olivia stiffened at the sound of Cragen's voice.

She followed blindly as her commanding officer led her into his office and made her sit down before his desk.

"I heard there was an incident. Came back as soon as I could."

Olivia bit her lip. She had so many questions but was terrified to ask them. She decided to just go for it, "Where were you?"

Cragen lowered his head, "Talking to an old friend. Figuring out how to keep you around until you're ready to take maternity leave... And how to keep you and Elliot out of trouble."

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"

"Unfortunately, you're not going to be happy with the results..."

"What do you mean?"

"You're only to work in the office. Only with children and young teens. Victims only. No interrogations, no field work."

"So I'm being demoted to a Police Matron? What is this, 1887?" Olivia grumbled.

Cragen smiled bleakly. "You'll still be Elliot's partner... for now."

"What do you mean, for now?" Olivia tested the waters with Cragen.

"You'll both have to undergo a psychological assesment. To make sure that you're in a healthy relationship... not just because of convenience and the bond that partners generally have."

"That's insane! I love Elliot because of Elliot... Not because of our job."

"Liv, there's a reason women picketted the police station when men and women were allowed to patrol together."

Olivia rolled her eyes, "It's not 1971 Captain. I can run just as fast as Elliot, and I can kick any perps ass that he can."

"Not when you're nine months pregnant with his baby."

"Captain-"

"I'm just saying, those women had legitimate concerns about their husbands working with female partners. And so do I, about you two. We both know the only reason you and Elliot didn't get together earlier was because of Kathy and Elliot being so Catholic that his rosary was tied around his neck." Olivia grinned slightly at the comment, "If you want this to work out, then just do the evaluation. I don't want to break you up, you're my best team."

Olivia nodded in agreement, "Elliot is going to be a little harder to convince than me." She commented while standing. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at Cragen, "Thank you. For everything."

Cragen nodded and stood as well. He rounded the desk and squeezed Olivia's arms with his hands, "As long as you're happy."

Olivia nodded, "I am." she reassured her father-figure.

Cragen then leaned in and kissed her lightly on the head, "You're going to be a great mother."

"Thank you."

"Now... Munch and Fin. Do they know?"

Olivia shook her head, "No."

"Good. I would have kicked their asses to the curb if they had known about the baby before me." Olivia laughed in response. "Now, where are those sorry excuses for detectives?"

Olivia's brow furrowed, "No one told you?"

"I know there was an incident but I was hoping you would brief me."

"They brought Turner in for questioning. Elliot and I were working him when he jumped me and held a knife to my neck. He was holding me in exchange for escape. He got a quick head-start down the stairs and the guys chased after him. They've been gone for a bit."

Cragen stared at Olivia in shock, "He hurt you?"

"Just a small nick to the neck."

"And Elliot went after him?"

"He's not alone Captain. John and Fin are with him."

"Yes, because Fin and Munch have a squeaky clean record." Cragen commented sarcastically, "I better go track them down."

Cragen left the room left Olivia standing alone.

~*~

Olivia had been left alone in the office again. The office had been buzzing since the incident and Olivia continually caught the concerned glances her co-workers kept shooting her way. She was terrified as well. So many things could have gone wrong. Turner was twisted and clever. He could have done something awful to Elliot and the others.

Kim Grayleck entered the squadroom and stormed over to Olivia's desk.

"You wanna tell me why three decorated detectives and the Captain of Special Victims are all in a holding cell at OnePP?" she snapped and Olivia's eyebrows raised.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Apparently your little lapdogs got themselves collared for excessive force against Ryan Turner. The patrol's downstairs had to pull them off of him. You can barely see his face, he's been beaten so badly."

"I- I don't know what to say." Olivia stuttered.

"I'm sure you don't. Just thought I'd let you know what was going on."

"Kim- Turner- he held me hostage. He's dangerous. They couldn't let him get away."

"He didn't deserve an unnessicary revenge beating."

"You don't know it wasn't self defense. Turner has been fighting them since he got in here."

"I'm sure that will be their defense. You just better hope they weren't defending your honor. Or else they've crossed the line one too many times." Kim then stormed from the office, leaving Olivia to figure out how to get her colleagues released.

* * *

Olivia stood before the door to the cell that contained the four men who she spent almost every day with. She crossed her arms over her chest and she beckoned them with her pointer finger. They silently lined up before her and she motioned for them to hold out their hands for inspection. She cringed at the red, blue, purple and black that covered their hands. She took each hand in her own and tenderly touched their wounds. When she reached Elliot she examined the cuts and bruises on his face. All four had clearly been beaten badly.

"You all look like hell."

"Turner has got some fight in him." Munch grumbled.

"It wasn't till Cap caught up with us that we were able to actually slap some cuffs on him."

"Rat bastard bit me." Munch complained as he held his hand out to Olivia as proof.

Olivia inspected the flesh wound on Munch's hand, "Boy, he really got you there. You might wanna get a shot or something."

"For what? Dumbass Disease?" Fin muttered.

"Liv, you gunna get us out of here or can we sit back down?" Elliot asked. He was clearly exhausted. His eyes seemed gray, rather than blue. His ears were bright red and hot. Ever since he was a child, his ears would start on fire when he got tired. It was a trait he passed onto his children and Olivia hoped that their child would have the same tell-tale sign. It was alway a useful tool for parents, to see when their child was in need of a rest. Elliot also sported a ripped shirt and a mean bruise on his right cheek.

"What happened out there guys? Are you actually in danger of losing your jobs?"

All four men laughed, "Olivia, there were witnesses all around. They saw Ryan Turner make the first move. He fought like a madman. OnePP knows that all of the force we used was necessary." Cragen answered.

"Kim seems pretty pissed off. She chewed me out earlier."

"She's just angry because she's going to have to try us and she already knows we don't like her." Elliot muttered, "Please, can we get out of here soon? I just want to go home." He placed the heels of his hands over his eyes and rubbed. Olivia winced at the dried blood all over his knuckles. A combination of his and Turner's.

"They're getting the keys. You'll be out of here in a few minutes." Olivia explained. And almost as soon as she said it, a guard dangled the keys before her.

"You're all free to go. Captain Cragen, the Chief of Detectives wants to see you in his office."

Cragen lowered his head and sighed. "Here we go." he muttered. He then looked up to Olivia and nodded towards Elliot, "Liv, you'll tell him the deal we made?"

Olivia's eyes widened at the question being asked in front of so many people but she nodded anyways, "Of course. Good luck Captain."

With that Cragen left the holding pen.

Munch turned to his friends, "I cannot wait to wash this day off of me. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Munch exited as Fin stated his goodbyes before following Munch out.

Olivia turned to Elliot and she took his hands gently in hers. She then ran her hands up his arms to rest on his shoulders. "You ready to go home?" Elliot let out a deep, exhausted sigh and nodded.

"Lets get out of here."

Just as Olivia turned to leave, Elliot grabbed her arm and turned her back. He then placed his hands on her stomach and she looked up into his eyes to see the tears that were spilling from them. Her heart broke and she placed her hands on both sides of his face.

"Hey- hey, it's ok. We're ok." she whispered soothingly. She rubbed away the tears with her thumbs but Elliot's body was shaking, "Lets go home El." She took his hand in hers and led him from the building. He followed like a broken child. When she finally got him into her car his quiet tears turned into heart wrenching sobs. Olivia couldn't help the tears that spouted from her eyes and landed on her lap. She pulled up to their beautiful home and they sat silently in their tears for a few moments before Olivia reached for her seatbelt. She was stopped from leaving when Elliot grabbed her arm and pulled her into his lap. He then captured her mouth fully with his. Their tears mixed as they passionately kissed their fear away. Olivia's body sparked against his and she knew that she wanted him at that moment of complete vulnerability. They were both scared and broken and exhausted, yet, they could not deny the desire they both possessed at that moment. They wanted a confirmation that the other was still with them, still safe, still alive, still in love. They needed to re-connect after the traumatic events of the day.

"Let's go inside." Olivia whispered and Elliot pressed his forehead against hers. He let out a deep breath and allowed her to leave the car. He followed tiredly. He was in a fog. The only thing he was certain about was the fire that burned for his life partner. Olivia unlocked the door to their wrap around porch and then the door into their house. She dropped her bag next to their antique hat rack and threw her coat onto their beautiful worn out couch. She then turned to Elliot who stood listlessly behind her. She slowly fingered the buttons on his jacket before pulling it from his body and throwing it next to hers. She then led him up the crooked wooden stairs to their grand bathroom. She turned the ancient taps, causing hot water to pour from the spout. She then turned back to Elliot. Olivia pulled his shoes off of his feet. She then unbuttoned his torn shirt and threw it aside before starting on his pants. He could barely stand, much less do anything that required dexterity. Once he was in his boxers she kicked off her shoes, pulled her sweater over her head and shucked her jeans off, kicking them to the side. Then she tenderly removed Elliot's boxers before disposing of her own under garments. She took Elliot's hands in hers and stared at the blood and bruises. Her hands then followed his arms up to his face and she gently touched the deep blue and black wounds that were darkening with each moment. His chin, cheek , forehead and eye all wore the disturbing reminders of the day.

Suddenly Elliot moved. Slowly, his hand moved the hair away from her shoulder and he rested his thumb on the cut on her neck. His other hand rested on her naked belly. He leaned his forehead in and touched it to Olivia's. They both rested with their eyes closed and took in each other's presence. Steam billowed around their naked bodies, creating heat that they both craved. The couple stood together for a few more moments before Olivia turned and turned the shower head on. She stepped and Elliot slowly followed. They pulled the shower curtain shut and stood under the hot, streaming water. Olivia lightly held Elliot's wounded hands in hers and she gently rubbed away the blood with a washcloth. She then moved from his hands and she rubbed down his neck and arms and hips and stomach and legs and feet before standing and washing his face and hair. Elliot allowed her to care for him, like he never had before.

Olivia kissed his shoulder and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her body and linked his hands at the small of her back. They stood in the same position until the water turned cold. Olivia then stepped from the shower and Elliot followed. She grabbed a towel and passed it to Elliot while they walked to their bedroom. Olivia climbed into bed with Elliot close behind her. They lay spooning until both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The afternoon sunlight spilled across Elliot's face. It had been for the three hours he had been sleeping, but something in that moment caused it to wake him. His tired eyes opened and he was greeted by the sleeping form of Olivia. Her hair was wild and messy from sleep and lack of styling. She wore no makeup or clothing. She was in her most natural form. Elliot took a moment to study the light freckles across her face and the beautiful lashes coming from her lids. Her naked lips were so rosy and perfect that Elliot could not hold back the kiss he wanted to place on them. Her lids fluttered open and he was able to stare into the golden brown eyes that glowed, even in their exhaustion. The starry eyes brightened more when they realized who was staring at them. The rosy lips grew into a smile and the naked body stretched out sleepily but excitedly.

"Good afternoon." she whispered before pecking him on the lips.

Elliot smiled and touched her nose with his pointer finger. He was at a loss for words. His heart hurt with the pressure he felt from his love for the woman laying next to him. All he felt capable of doing was screaming it from the rooftops but all he wanted to do was express it to her- and he couldn't. His tongue was tied up and his stomach was in knots. Finally he just leaned in and took her fully with his mouth. Olivia giggled at the soft touches his hands made on her waist as he worked his way down to her legs before separating them. He entered her gently and she instantly reacted to him rocking her back and forth. Her nails dug into his back as he continued to kiss her neck. Her legs wrapped around his waist and connected at his back. They slowly worked from a lethargic, steady, pace to the fast and desperate hunger for the climactic satisfaction that would soon come. The heat of being under the covers and together caused Olivia to pant in ecstasy. Elliot's husky breathing was a verbal sign that he was steadily getting closer to reaching his climax and the feeling of Olivia clenching around him was helping him reach that peak. It wasn't long before they both collapsed in satisfaction. Elliot rolled off of Olivia but pulled her in close to him. He didn't want to lose the heat or the smell. She sloppily kissed his naked chest in thanks.

"Elliot- that was... amazing." she thanked Elliot and traced her fingers over his sweaty hip bones. She ran her hand along his flat stomach and up to his broad shoulders before dropping her head down on his chest in exhaustion. Elliot kissed her forehead and cheeks and hair and then lifted her chin with his finger.

"Look at me." he whispered. She opened her eyes and he grinned at the sight of the misty glow, "I. Love. You." He emphasized the statement, causing a pleased smile to fall across her lips and reach into her eyes.

"I love you too El."

"I love you." Elliot touched her nose with his finger and then dragged it along her body to her stomach, "And I love this little bean." he whispered as he spread his sore hand out to hold the tiny pouch she had developed. Olivia smiled lovingly.

"I love this little bean too." She placed her hand over his and they both stared at their intertwining fingers that held the most precious thing in their lives.

And at the moment, everything was perfect.

* * *

_One time, there were these FanFiction readers who wanted to be really cool and smart and wonderful... So they pressed on that little green button down below. And presto! All their goals were achieved!_


	9. Loom

each time we've spoken, we've put in a token and ridden the tilt-a-whirl/i was giggling and dizzy flirting like a 12 year old girl/the carnival of you and me is coming to town watch how we spin and spin and then fall down/now we just say hello and head for firmer ground-Ani DiFranco, Loom

* * *

Olivia sipped the decaffeinated tea and silently cursed not being able to pump caffeine into her tired body. "Stupid baby." she muttered while grabbing a whole wheat muffin and sitting down at the kitchen table.

Her body was tired and sore, despite the extra sleep she had gotten the day before. She felt bloated and grumpy and she wanted to eat a cheeseburger with relish and extra mustard. She was surprised by her sudden craving but the desire did not dissipate.

"Elliot- I need you to do something." she yelled so he could hear her upstairs. Elliot appeared at the overhang that was across from their bedroom door and peered over the kitchen. He leaned on the banister and Olivia stared straight up, mouth full of muffin.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Are you busy?" she responded to his question with another question.

"Not really. What do you need?"

"I know this is stupid and so stereotypical but I'm having a craving and I'm just too tired to go and get it myself."

Elliot smiled and started down the stairs, "What do you want?"

"A cheeseburger... with relish... and extra mustard."

Elliot arched an eyebrow at her request, "Relish?"

Olivia frowned, "Don't make fun of me."

Elliot smiled and held his hands up in a defensive position, "I'm not. It's just that the cravings never cease to amaze me." He grabbed his keys and headed for the door. Olivia caught a glimpse of his scabbing hands and frowned.

"Put some Polysporine on those cuts." she lectured and Elliot examined his knuckles.

"They're not that bad."

"They could still get infected."

Elliot knew better than to argue with Olivia, much less a pregnant woman and even more so, a pregnant Olivia. That was a suicide mission.

"I'll buy some while I'm out." He slipped his shoes on and started to turn the handle on the front door when suddenly he turned around and marched over to Olivia. She recoiled in surprise but was pleased when Elliot leaned down and connected his mouth with hers. Olivia allowed his scent and touch to capture her and she limply put her hand on his neck and pulled him closer before they separated. Elliot smiled at her and kissed her nose, "Is the anything else you want?"

Olivia gave him a pouty smile, "A strawberry vanilla milkshake?"

Elliot nodded and kissed her, lightly, before heading for the door, "I'll be back soon."

"El-"

He turned around to face her and she grinned, "Thank you."

He smiled back at her, "It's my pleasure."

* * *

Elliot had returned with two cheeseburgers with relish and extra mustard, as well as two strawberry vanilla milkshakes. He placed them on the kitchen table and Olivia stood and planted grateful kisses all over his face.

"You. Are. The. Best. Man. I. Know." she stated between kisses. Elliot laughed as she sat down and started into the first burger. He then grabbed a glass of orange juice and a muffin and sat down across from her. They sat silently, chewing was the only sound the be heard when Elliot's cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw Fin's number.

"Hey Fin, what's up?"

"Not a lot. Just wanted to call and tell yah that the witnesses confirmed that Turner deserved every shot we took. Charges were dropped and taken off our records."

"That's good news. Thanks Fin."

"No problem. Oh yeah, Cragen wants us all in by 7am tomorrow. Can you call Olivia?"

"She's probably working right now, but I'll let her know. See you tomorrow." He then hung up the phone and turned his attention back to Olivia, who was leaning back in her chair, sipping milkshake from the straw.

"Cragen wants us at the house by 7 tomorrow." he passed on the message and Olivia nodded. Elliot then watched as realization filled her eyes.

"Oh! I forgot! I talked to Cragen before he went to help you out."

Elliot sat up straighter in his chair, "And?"

"I've been demoted to professional babysitter- Only to work with victims and such, no interrogations or field work." she was frowning but Elliot knew, deep inside, she was relieved, "And we're still allowed to work together. For now."

"What does that mean?" he asked, "For now?"

"We have to undergo a psychological assessment... See if our relationship has anything to do with our job... If we seem healthy enough- sane enough, they might let us keep our positions."

Elliot frowned, "That doesn't make any sense."

Olivia arched her eyebrow as she bit into the second burger, "What do you mean?"

"Of course it has to do with our job. I wouldn't even know you if we didn't work together."

Olivia sighed, "I think they want to know if we would be a couple even if we hadn't worked together."

Elliot's frown lines deepened, "Well, would we?"

It was Olivia's turn to frown, "What do you mean?"

"Well- you're not my typical 'type' Liv..." Olivia continued to chew her food but motioned for him to continue, "You know- perky, blonde, blue eyed, submissive, innocent Catholic..."

Olivia frowned as she swallowed, "So... I'm not someone you would choose? Because I'm brunette and a heathen?"

Elliot realized that her feelings had been hurt by his statement, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He thought for a moment and then smiled when he found the right words, "No. I wouldn't choose you. Why would want to choose you?"

"Elliot-"

"Why would I want to choose the most stubborn, independent, complicated, strong, beautiful woman I have ever seen? Why would I choose someone who intimidates me with her brains and her beauty, every single day? Why would I want to choose someone who I can't have because of our jobs and because she's just too good for me? Why would I be confident or cocky enough to think that she would want me back?" He could see the tears glazing on her eyes and his smile grew, "Why would I pick a woman who wouldn't give me a second glance on the street?" he paused and as he waiting for his thoughts to turn into coherent words, "I have a 'type' that is safe and predictable and attainable... you don't fit into that box Liv... I didn't choose you simply out of self-preservation. But the day I realized you had chosen me- that need for self-preservation flew out the window. I didn't care when you were eventually going to crush me or we lost our jobs... Just the chance to be with you, until the day you realized you were too good for me, was worth it all."

Olivia bit her lip lightly and smiled shyly at her partner, "That day will never come." she whispered before picking up her burger, "And if you say that to the psychologist, we're golden."

Elliot laughed. He knew she had heard him and she had been touched by his sentiments. That everything he said would be cherished for all of their days. So he laughed as she bit into her burger and chewed happily.

"When are we gunna tell Munch and Fin?" he asked her.

"As soon as possible." she decided, mouth full of food, "Why don't we see if they're free for dinner tonight?"

Elliot felt his stomach jump at the idea but knew it had to be done, "Alright, where?"

"Why not here?" she asked, before taking a sip from her milkshake.

"Here?" he questioned as she grabbed a black marker from the drawer behind her.

"Yeah." she said as she wrote on the styrofoam cup that held her second milkshake, "Then they can realize that we're serious and we're not just screwing around. They'll get a clearer idea of what's really happening with us. It might also calm their dirty imaginations down... a bit." She had finished writing on her milkshake cup and she placed it on the table. Elliot leaned over slightly to read it.

"Touch this and I will kill you and make it look like an accident." he laughed as she raised the other milkshake to her lips and stood. She placed the second milkshake in the fridge.

"Call them." Olivia ran her fingers through his hair, "I"m gunna go take a bath."

"What do I tell them?" he asked as she started climbing the stairs.

"Just ask them to come for dinner at your place. Tell them we'll order in. Spend some time together."

Elliot sighed and pulled out his phone when she disappeared into the bathroom, "You make it sound so simple."

* * *

Elliot spread out the Chinese take-out containers over the kitchen table. Wine and beer sat on the counter, cooling in ice containers. Olivia was lighting candles and fluffing up the eccentric couch pillows she had collected since Elliot asked her to move in with him. She smiled as she remembered how empty and boring the grand old house had been before she took up residence. The house had been left to Elliot by a wealthy aunt. It was beautiful and full of history. She fell in love the instant she set foot in it. He brought her to check it out during a break at work. The day she moved in she started collecting antiques and other furniture and knick knacks from around the world and the building quickly turned from a house into a home. Photos of their loved ones hung in eclectic frames on the terra-cotta walls of the living room and stairwell. The kitchen had a tuscan flair and the living room was a cross between Victorian and Indian. Yet the mish-mash of cultures and time periods melded together perfectly.

The doorbell jolted Olivia out of her memory and she padded to the front door. She smoothed down her cream halter dress with a brown stitched owl on the bottom corner and turned her silver anklet so the clasp was not visible from her front view. She smirked at herself, wondering why she felt the need to appear perfect for Fin and Munch. She swung the door open and smiled broadly at her friends.

"Hey guys! You're right on time- the food just got here."

"Hey girl. How'd Elliot snag himself this joint?" Fin kissed her cheek as he stepped into the main house. Munch followed suit and Olivia closed the door behind them.

"His aunt left it to him. She had no kids so El was the next best thing."

"Lucky bastard." Fin walked into the kitchen and Elliot appeared at the overhang.

"You talkin' 'bout me?" He asked and Fin nodded.

"Some guys get all the luck." he retorted.

Elliot started his decent down the stairs, "Grab a beer. Grab a Moo Shoo Guy. We can sit in the living room."

Munch and Fin did as they were told and Elliot did the same. Olivia grabbed a container of chicken chow mein and a bottle of water and followed the boys into the living room. The one set of partners sat on the couch, leaving Elliot to sit in the overstuffed armchair and Olivia sat on a pillow in front of him.

"So- why'd you call us here for this detectives meeting?" Munch asked as he took a swig from his beer.

Olivia felt Elliot tighten underneath her. She rested her arms on his legs and turned to face him, "We might as well tell them now." she whispered, "We don't want to be freaking out all night."

"What you two talkin' about?" Fin asked while he attacked his food with clumsy chopsticks.

Elliot nodded his agreement and Olivia turned back to the men sitting in front of her, "Guys... this isn't just Elliot's house..." she started. Instantly both men dropped their chopsticks into their containers and set them aside. Fin took another slug of beer and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"I knew it." he stated.

"You did not." Munch argued, "I'm the one who put money on them living together. You just thought they were sleeping together... You are sleeping together, aren't you?" Munch asked and Elliot groaned.

"A bit personal there John." he stated but the inquiring look did not stop, "Yes..."

"You owe me 50 bucks." Munch stated and Fin frowned.

"Dammit."

"Though I'm glad you're taking this so well, that's not the only reason we asked you to come here tonight." Olivia stated, her confusion apparent in her voice.

"Wait, how long have you two been betting on this?" Elliot asked.

"I dunno... as soon as you and Kathy divorced, the first time around." Munch explained. He peered over his sunglasses as Olivia and Elliot stared at each other in disbelief, "You think we didn't know? We are top grade detectives you know."

"Man, we knew before you knew that you two were gunna end up together in some form. If you didn't end up in a relationship, you were gunna at least jump each others bones." Fin stated.

"Uh- I'm not sure what to say..." Olivia muttered.

"How about telling us why you actually called us here?" Munch asked.

"Um... well... we've been together for about a year now... We live together and we've been doing well. We took the big jumps and we're happy. There have been a lot of changes. And it's been really good. Now we have another change happening." Elliot started. He then squeezed Olivia's shoulders, letting her know it was her turn to take over.

"We're having a baby." Olivia announced causing Fin and Munch to look at each other in surprise.

"You're kidding, right?" Munch asked.

"No John, we are very serious." Elliot stated.

"When are you due?" Fin asked.

"We haven't gotten an official date yet. Sometime in March."

"Does Cragen know?"

"Yeah. We told him yesterday. We have to meet with a shrink and Olivia isn't allowed to do field work or interrogate anymore but she's gunna be with us until it's time for her to go on mat leave."

"Are you guys... okay?" Munch asked. Elliot and Olivia looked at each other and smiled broadly.

"Yeah. We are." Elliot confirmed.

"It's scary but it's amazing." said Olivia.

"We just wanted to tell you before you heard it from anybody else."

"And we hope you understand why we didn't tell you about... us..."

"Hey, it's none of our business."

"So... we're all okay?"

"Well... only if you name the baby after me." Munch stated causing Olivia and Elliot to laugh.

"And I call Godfather." Fin claimed.

Olivia stood and hugged Fin and Munch, "Thank you."

"Congratulations girl. You're gunna be a kick-ass mom."

"And we already know Elliot is a disgustingly good father."

"Thanks guys."

"Now, lets eat this food and drink this beer- the lady excluded- and enjoy our short time off." Fin, Munch and Elliot clinked their bottles while Olivia tapped them with her plastic water bottle.

"To Olivia and Elliot and the little sprout on it's way."

"Here here!"

The rest of the night was filled with jokes and laughter and happiness and peace.

* * *

Next: Doctors appointments, a confrontation with Kathy and telling the twins.

_So, my keyboard and mouse are broken but I'm really curious about what that Review button is for. Would you be willing to click on it and follow the instructions and tell me what it says? That'd be great, thanks._


	10. Joyful Girl

_i do it for the joy it brings/__because i'm a joyful girl/__because the world owes me nothing/ __and we owe each other the world/__i do it because it's the least i can do/__i do it because i learned it from you/__and i do it just because i want to /__because i want to__-Ani DiFranco "Joyful Girl"  
_

* * *

Two weeks passed by and Olivia had decided that she needed to figure out the due date of their child.

Olivia stared out at the buildings passing by as she and Elliot drove to her new OB/GYN's office. Olivia's stomach was doing flips as they approached the tall building that held the office of the doctor who would tell them when to expect their child. Elliot managed to find a parking spot fairly close to the front doors. They climbed out of the car and Elliot came up behind Olivia, linking his hand with hers. She leaned her shoulder into his and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Why do I feel like I'm walking the gangplank?" she joked and Elliot smiled.

"It's a little bit nerve-wracking isn't it?" He squeezed her hand in reassurance, "It'll be okay. He's a great doctor."

Olivia nodded. Elliot had history with Doctor Barnes. He had been Kathy's OB when she was pregnant. He trusted this doctor and he knew him well. He had delivered his first four children. They reached the elevator and were quickly brought to the eighth floor. They stepped out into a bright, sunny office filled with women. Olivia allowed Elliot to check in for her before they sat down together to wait.

As nervous as they both were, their conversation flowed easily. They laughed about the grouchy receptionists fake, long, tacky, red fingernails and conferred on how Kim was going to handle the Turner case. Olivia had decided to press charges for assault on a Police Officer and she had been dragged into the messy world of testimonies and lawyer games.

The couple was giggling about making Munch and Fin dig through the garbage bins behind Turner's house because Olivia claimed to be too morning sick to do it, when a voice caused the hair on their arms to stand up.

"Elliot? Olivia?"

"Kathy?" Elliot jumped up and instantly assumed an aggressive position, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Dr. Barnes for a check-up. What are you doing here?" She wore confusion boldly across her face. Elliot glanced down at Olivia and suddenly the confusion turned into realization.

"You've got to be kidding me." she hissed. Elliot bit his lip and waited for the storm that was about to hit, "Olivia? You swore nothing was going on!"

"Kath, there was never anything going on." he defended.

"You knocked her up? How long did it take you to jump from my bed to hers? A week? Or did you just never leave it from the first time?" she spat, "And you bring her here? To MY doctor? Did you WANT to get caught by me?"

"Dr. Barnes is the best doctor in the city. I trust him..."

"God Elliot- this is just great. How am I going to explain this to the kids?"

"You don't have to... I will. Maureen and Kathleen already know."

Kathy looked like she had been slapped. "What do you mean? You told them before you told me?"

Elliot's brow furrowed in confusion, "Why is that a problem? They're my children- they deserve to know if they're going to become big brothers and sisters again."

"Elliot... I can't believe you..." Kathy wore a look of pure disgust on her face.

"Don't tell Lizzie and Dick. They'll never forgive me if they don't find out from me."

"Why should I do you any favors? I ask you to stay away from one person and you can't even do that."

With that Olivia stood, furious, "You lost the right to tell Elliot who he had to stay away from the day you divorced him. You did not assume the right to make his children hate him because of your own petty jealousy. You're not only hurting Elliot if you do this. How do you think Dickie and Lizzie will feel?"

Kathy recoiled at being scolded by her ex-husbands lover. She scowled when the nurse came out and called Olivia's name before Kathy had a chance to retort.

"Come on El, lets go." she took his hand and he followed her back into the doctors office.

After the nurse told them Dr. Barnes would be in soon and closed the door, Elliot started pacing in the office. "She's going to do whatever she can to hurt me. She's going to tell them as soon as possible." he muttered as Olivia changed into a gown. When she was finished she stopped Elliot from wearing a path into the floor and turned him towards her.

"Text them and tell them we're coming to pick them up as soon as we're done here. They're probably free."

Elliot chewed on her idea for a few moments before pulling out his phone and shooting off a message to the twins. Within seconds he received a message from Lizzie claiming she was at a friends but would he was free to pick her up there if he wanted and a message from Dick saying that he was at the park playing soccer and to call him when he was on his way. Elliot let out a sigh of relief and nodded his appreciation to Olivia.

"Thank you. I feel better." he leaned in and kissed her and she smiled.

"It's what I'm here for."

That's when the door swung open and Dr. Barnes walked in, "Hello Olivia. I'm Doctor Barnes." he then landed his eyes on Elliot and a confused grin filled his face, "Elliot- what are you doing here?"

"Hello Doctor... I'm here to find out more about my baby..."

"Not that it's any of my business but you do know Kathy is in the waiting room, correct?"

Elliot coughed while nodding, "Yeah, we found out the hard way. She wasn't very pleased to see me here."

"Well, she'll just have to learn that things change." he reassured Elliot. He then turned to Olivia. "It's nice to meet you Ms-"

"Detective-" she interjected and Dr Barnes raised an amused eyebrow.

"Detective Benson. So, you're here to find out the due date and general health of your child?"

"Yes..."

"Well, lets get started. Just sit up here." Olivia climbed into the bed and Dr Barnes covered her legs with a sheet before lifting her gown over her stomach, "Do you know the date of conception?"

"I'm not %100 sure. I think I'm around three months."

"Well, let's just see. This might be a bit cold." he squirted a fair amount of jelly onto her stomach before switching on the sonogram machine next to them. Elliot clutched her hand and leaned in to see the screen. Dr Barnes placed the wand on the jelly and moved his around. Suddenly the sound of steady beats filled the office. Dr Barnes let a large grin spread across his face and he pointed to the shape of a blob on the screen, "That is your baby. Strong heart beat... And that... his finger moved up the screen to another blob, "Is your baby's twin."

Olivia felt a rush fill her body. She felt like she was floating. Elliot's hand squeezed hers even tighter and he brought her head up against his chest.

"Twins?" he whispered.

"Absolutley. Let me just take a few measurements and I can tell you when to expect them."

Olivia turned to Elliot. Disbelief had taken over their bodies and senses.

"Twins..." Olivia whispered, "We're having twins?"

"I guess they run in my genes." Elliot stated.

"This is unbelievable." she laughed and Elliot kissed her deeply.

"You better believe it by March 25th. That's their due date." Dr Barnes stated as he wiped off the excess jelly and lowered her gown, "Everything looks good here. They seem healthy and so do you. Now, do I need to read you the riot act about working or is that all figured out?"

"I've cut back. Elliot and I work together. He's there to watch out for me."

"Sounds good. Well, here you are." Dr Barnes handed Olivia a small print out of their sonogram and Olivia stared at it longingly before reluctantly handing it to Elliot, "Now, you should decide whether or not you want to know the gender of your babies because when you come in next, I'll be able to tell you." Olivia and Elliot nodded and Dr Barnes smiled, "Congratulations Detectives. I'll see you in two months." He shook Elliot's hand and winked at Olivia before leaving the room.

Olivia got dressed quickly. Elliot stared at her the whole time in amazement. When she finished putting her shoes on she raised her eyes to Elliot and she could not hold back the smile. She suddenly threw herself at him and hugged him tightly. "Twins. Twins!" she laughed and Elliot started laughing too. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

"This is great Liv. Speaking of twins- we better go pick up Dick and Liz..."

Olivia practically floated to the car. Kathy was not in the waiting room as they left and she was grateful for that. Though she didn't feel that even Kathy could bring her down from the cloud she was riding. Elliot sent quick messages to Lizzie and Dickie stating that he was on his way before pulling away from the office building. They were nearly at Central Park when Elliot suddenly pulled over.

"What are you doing?" she asked but Elliot just smiled and told her to wait in her seat. She tried to twist and see where he was going but didn't see which shop he entered in time. He was back within five minutes and started the car again and called Dickie.

"Hey Dick- yeah, what side are you on? Oh, we're right by there. Yep. You see me? I see you-" he then hung up his phone and watched as Dickie grabbed his soccer stuff and bid farewell to his friends before running to the car and climbing in.

"Hey Dad. Hey Olivia. What's up?"

"Not too much. We had some time before we have to go to work and we thought we'd take you for coffee." Elliot stated, "It's been a while since I've seen you."

"Fair enough. I wanted to see you too."

"Good. Now, do you know where Lizzie's friend Chelsea lives?"

"Yeah. She's not far from here." Dickie quickly gave his father directions before falling into an easy conversation with Olivia about his soccer team and school and his friends. They arrived for Lizzie and she was already waiting on the steps. She waved goodbye to her friend before jumping into the car.

"Ugh- Am I ever glad that's over." she moaned as she buckled herself in, "Hey Dad. Hi Olivia!" Elliot smiled at the excitement in his daughters voice when she realized Olivia was in the front seat.

"Did you have a bad time?" Olivia asked.

"Chelsea's nice and all, but all she does is talk about her stupid boyfriend. There's only so much a person can take."

"It's true." Olivia agreed.

"So- what are we doing?"

"Well, Liv and I thought we might take you out for coffee."

"You're not working?" Lizzie asked.

"Not till later." Olivia answered.

"Sounds good. Drive Jeeves." she joked and Elliot pulled away from Chelsea's house. Elliot grinned as he listened to Dickie and Lizzie chatter away with Olivia about their lives. Olivia was eating it up. She laughed at the right times, gasped at the right times and cared the right amount. It wasn't long before Elliot pulled into a coffee house near his new house.

"How's this?" he asked and everyone in the car agreed. They trekked into the quaint shop and ordered their drinks. Lizzie and Dickie grabbed cold drinks while Elliot snagged a black coffee and Olivia ordered a decaffeinated chai latte. The quartet sat down at a booth, all the while the conversation and teasing and laughter never let up. It almost seemed like Olivia and Elliot weren't going to get a chance to tell the twins their news. They had almost forgotten why they had called the twins when suddenly their phones went off at the same time. Lizzie got to hers first as Dickie tried to dig his out of his pocket.

"It's mom. She wants to know where we are."

"Oh jeez. What did we do now?" Dickie mumbled as he pulled his phone out to read an identical message, "Just tell her we're with dad."

Before Elliot had a chance to object Lizzie had sent of the message. It didn't take long for Lizzie to frown at Kathy's response, "She said she wants us home NOW! What pissed her off?"

"Whatever. Ignore it. We'll be home soon anyways." Dickie responded and Lizzie shut her phone.

"When do you have to get back to work?" Lizzie asked as she sipped her drink.

Elliot looked at his watch and frowned, "Soon. So we should probably tell you why we really called you."

Lizzie and Dickie shot each other looks before setting their drinks down, "What's going on?" Lizzie asked.

"Well... I'm sure you haven't really thought about my romantic life since the divorce..."

"You'd be correct in that assumption." Dickie cracked.

"But I'm sure you didn't expect me to stay single forever..."

"Now, that's an incorrect assumption." Lizzie was clearly teasing her father.

Elliot then smiled at his children. "Well..." he took Olivia's hand in his and placed it in front of them, "I'm not single... I haven't been for a while..." he explained.

"Ohmygod." Lizzie's eyes widened dramatically and Dickie grinned like the Cheshire cat.

"Dad- you dog. How'd you manage to bag Olivia?"

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise at the comment before she started to laugh. Elliot rolled his eyes at his son, "Thanks Dick. That's really good for my self-esteem."

"I'd think that scoring with Olivia is enough self-esteem to last you a while." Dickie joked and Lizzie laughed.

"How long have you been together?" Lizzie asked.

"Almost a year." Elliot stated and Lizzie laughed.

"I knew those pillows were too girly for you to have picked them out!" She referenced the couch pillows that Olivia had collected.

"So... why are you telling us now?"

"Ohmygod, are you like, totally in love and getting married?"

"We'll have to see about that. But we do have news for you." Elliot then reached into his pocket and handed the twins each a small piece of paper. Olivia smiled when she realized that he had given them the sonogram.

The twins eyes widened in shock. "I assume there's a baby in this photo- but I have no idea where it is." Dickie stated causing everyone to laugh. Elliot leaned over the table and Dickie turned the paper so he could reach it better. Lizzie leaned in so she could see what was going on.

Elliot pointed at the first white spot, "That's one baby." his finger then moved up the paper to point out the identical white spot, "And that's the other baby."

"What?" Lizzie squeaked and Olivia leaned over to hold her hand, "You're having twins?" she asked, staring into Olivia's eyes.

Olivia smiled and nodded, "And I can only hope they'll grow up to be half as great as you two... I'm hoping that they'll be lucky enough to have you around for them to model after."

Lizzie and Dickie smiled at the compliment, "Of course they will."

"Do Maureen and Kathleen know yet?" Lizzie asked.

"They know that Olivia is pregnant. But they don't know that we're having twins. We thought that we should tell you first."

"Does mom know?" Lizzie questioned tentatively.

Elliot frowned and nodded, "She found out today... She's not very happy."

"Hence the angry messages." Dickie stated.

"Well, I'm happy for you. Congratulations dad." Lizzie squeezed her fathers hand.

"Yeah, at least this way, we know you wont die alone."

"Thanks Dickie."

Olivia and Elliot jumped when their cells phones started blaring. The couple sighed when they saw messages from Cragen. The twins watched as the partners suddenly transformed from a happy couple to a pair of angry cops.

"You have-"

"Got to be kidding me."

"Turner escaped?" Olivia turned to Elliot and he looked like he was ready to punch a wall. She then turned to the twins and sighed, "Do you mind if we give you money for a cab? This is an emergency."

The twins nodded and Elliot gave them enough money to get home. The detectives stood and Elliot kissed his children, "Good luck with your mother. I love you."

He barely caught the "Bye dad" as he and Olivia ran from the coffee shop.

* * *

_So... had some crazy malfunction leading to no reviews of my last chapter. I say in protest of the glitch everyone posts TWICE the amount of reviews for each story! That'll teach electronics to have malfunctions!_


	11. The Story

_i am up again against/ the skin of my guitar/ in the window of my life/ looking out through the bars/ i am sounding out the silence/ avoiding all the words/ i'm afraid i've said too much/ i'm afraid of who has heard me/ __-the story, ani difranco_

* * *

"How the hell did that freak get out of here?" Elliot demanded an answer as he stormed into the squadroom. Olivia followed closely behind him and they were greeted by Cragen, Fin and Munch.

"He attacked the guard moving him from the holding cell to his first trial date. He managed to outrun everyone and disappeared.

Their conversation was interrupted by a young cop, "Captain Cragen, they found this in Turner's cell. I was instructed to bring it to you right away."

Cragen took the envelope and frowned, "It's addressed to the squad." he opened it and frowned before taking a breath and reading it out-loud, "We made a deal. You broke it. I let Detective Benson live. But you did not let me leave. Watch out."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Fin questioned.

"I think it means "watch out" Fin." Munch stated.

"Thanks Detective Obvious. Olivia, you're under house arrest. This guy held you hostage. So the odds are, he's going to come after you."

Elliot placed his hand on Olivia's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"You go no where alone- one of us will be with you at all times. Even when you're in the bathroom." Cragen set up the guidelines and Olivia slumped, defeated. She knew there was no arguing, "Munch, Fin, head out with the patrol and try and track Turner down. Elliot, Olivia, you work on trying to figure out where he might be going. Cover everything- by phone." he clarified when he saw the look of hope on Olivia's face. She thought he might be giving her permission to go into the field. He then stormed into his office. Fin and Munch walked up to Olivia and patted her on the back.

"Sorry Olivia."

"Yeah girl... How was your doctors appointment?" Fin asked as an afterthought.

Olivia smiled ironically, "We found out we're having twins..." she muttered before sulking off to her desk.

* * *

Three days had passed since Turner's escape. There had been no leads and no word from him. The cases had started to pile up so Cragen demanded the detectives move on to the other cases. Olivia was reading a file that Elliot had passed her when Cragen poked out from his office.

"Benson, Stabler, in my office."

Olivia furrowed her brow at Elliot who shrugged as he stood and headed for their Captains office.

Once inside Elliot and Olivia sat in the chairs in front of his desk. Cragen examined them and shook his pen at them, "You two seem to have forgotten our deal."

"Which deal? The one where I'm not allowed to pee alone or the one where I'm stuck in the office all day long?"

Cragen smirked at Olivia's bitterness but shook his head, "No- the deal where you go and see a psychologist and I don't kick one of you out of my department."

"Captain- is this really necessary?" Elliot groaned, "You already know we work well together."

"You are going to do this or I split you up for good. I can protect you for now but what do you think is going to happen when Olivia comes back to work? IAB is going to have a fit when they find out you two spawned. I need to cover my ass and yours. You will go and see this psychologist. She's an independent. Not connected to the Force in any way. The only person she will report to is me. And even then, she will only tell me whether she thinks that you two are okay to work together." Elliot and Olivia sighed but nodded, "But just know- if she has any concerns at all- I will be forced to split you up."

"How is this independent shrink supposed to know anything if she's not connected with the force?" Elliot challenged.

"I gave her a list of questions to ask. She's well prepared."

"But Captain-"

"Stop arguing. I know neither of you like talking about your fears and dreams but you're not getting out of this. You might as well do it. You might learn something about yourselves."

* * *

Olivia frowned. She stared silently at Doctor Heather Mercer. She smiled pleasantly at the detective. She was an attractive woman. Light blonde hair, blue eyes and a petite body. She seemed personable and pleasant.

"You know, you'd be just his type." Olivia stated.

Dr Mercer raised her eyebrows at the first sentence Olivia had put together since arriving, "Who's type?"

"Elliot's type. You're blonde, blue-eyes... Small... You seem pleasant."

"And Elliot is...?"

Olivia scoffed and smirked, "You know who Elliot is."

"I know his name. His official title. But I don't know who he is to you. So why don't you tell me?"

Olivia smiled. She recognized the exercise. She started to resist when Cragen's voice echoed in her head, "Just do it. You might learn something."

"Elliot is... my partner. In everything. My partner in work, play, love... life."

"When did you and Elliot meet?"

"Twelve years ago. My first day of working at Special Victims. He was assigned to be my transition partner."

"Transition partner?"

"Yeah. The force will assign an experienced detective to a rookie in order to teach them everything they can in a short time. The senior detective will spend that time assessing the rookie on their capabilities, their competence in the department they chose, ex-cetera. Then they pass on an evaluation to the head of the department with their observations before the rookie is passed off to a new partner or in some cases, most cases in SVU, a new department."

"But you didn't get passed on."

Olivia smiled, "Nope. Elliot was stuck with me. Not something he was entirely happy about."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, he'll never admit it, but I caught him calling me Detective Barbie and Princess of Police behind my back. He thought I was competent enough to work SVU but he didn't like being stuck with a rookie when he had put in so much time. He had already outdone the average SVU detective with his years in the squad. He felt he should be working cases solo."

"Your Captain said he knew he was keeping you two together as soon as you met."

Olivia smiled, "He never told me that."

"He said that the way you two were able to play off of each other instantly was so natural that he knew you would be superb at your jobs... Because no other detective had been able to work successfully with Detective Stabler. That is, they couldn't handle working with his hot-headed behaviors. How do you deal with it?"

Olivia leaned back in the chair and smiled, "What can I say? I'm a saint." she joked, "But really- I knew I had something special with Elliot right of the bat. We were just so... comfortable around each other."

"Have you always been that comfortable around each other?"

"No. We hit a rough patch." Olivia frowned at the memory.

"Describe that."

"We- both shut down. For different reasons."

"What reasons?"

"His wife had left him... I became his only support... But then I was attacked... He chose me over a victim and the victim died... it's complicated. Our relationship reached a volatile point and we couldn't work together anymore. So I left."

"You left? To where?"

"Another department. But I hated it so I came back. But then I got whisked away by the FBI and I had to leave without saying goodbye."

"How did Elliot respond to that?"

"He never did tell me how he felt when I left. I just know that it was shaky when I returned. We hadn't been the same until his wife left him again."

"Did you know that you had feelings for Elliot before his wife left him?"

Olivia grinned, "I was attracted to him, sure. But that's not why I fell in love with him. He and I connected in a way that I had never felt before... or since. At first that it was because he was my partner... but then I worked with other cops, other people, and knew... that Elliot was different because of him... not our jobs. It's like anything in life- no one would think twice if two stock brokers fell in love. Sure, they understand each other's jobs and the demanding lifestyle it brings but that's not the reason they fell in love..."

"So you don't believe that you're connection with Elliot has to do with your job?"

"Of course some of it has to do with our job. But that's not the reason we're connected. It just strengthened our connection. And it also put us to the test."

"Do you think you passed?"

Olivia bit her lip and smiled, "Yeah, I think we did. Or else I wouldn't be here today, explaining why I'm madly in love with Elliot. I mean- since when is love- real, undying, pure love, ever a bad thing?"

Dr Mercer smiled, "I can't say I have an example to give you."

* * *

Olivia sat in the coffee shop, waiting for Elliot to come down from his appointment with Dr Mercer. She was glad that she had been honest with the doctor but she was afraid she had given the doctor enough ammo to get her fired.

The tinkle of the bell above the coffee shop door caused Olivia to look up and see Elliot coming through the door. His eyes were grey. He was exhausted. Olivia gave him a sympathetic smile as he sat down across from her.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

He sighed deeply, "Oh she had me crying about my mommy in five seconds flat."

Olivia giggled, "You get anything out of it?"

Elliot stretched out in his seat and rubbed the tired out of his eyes, "Sure. I asked her what her opinion was and she said we sounded like a married couple that had been living without good sex for ten years and when we finally figured out how to do it right, everything was fixed."

"She did not say that!"

"Okay, that's my interpretation. But it's pretty close to what she came up with."

"You're sick." She teased before her tone turned serious, "What do you think she'll tell Cragen?"

"I'm not sure... We'll just have to wait."

* * *

_And so will you... Unless we have some sort of compromise... where you review more and I post faster... c'mon, I know you wanna know what's gunna happen... otherwise you wouldn't be reading this authors note ;)_


	12. Angel Food

_when you come to me/_

_ come to me with cake in your pocket/_

_ come to me nicely with that soft kinda cake/_

_ that's mostly icing/_

_ come to me ready and rude/_

_ bring me angel food/_

_ angel food/_

_-angel food, Ani DiFranco_

* * *

"Congratulations. You passed with flying colours."

"Pardon?"

"Dr Mercer sent me her assessment. She thinks that you two can continue to successfully work together without a considerable amount of risk. She believes that the bond you share as partners is very different than the bond you share as a couple and you are both very capable of separating those titles." Elliot and Olivia released their relief in unison. They turned to each other and he hugged her tightly. Cragen groaned, "Okay, okay. Just because you're out of the woods for now does not mean you can turn into a couple of lovesick puppies. Keep the mushy crap out of the squadroom and don't go pissing people off either. We don't want anymore attention on you than we already have. Also, Olivia, you need to hand in your request for maternity leave soon. You're permitted to take more time because it's twins... Elliot is also welcome to take some of your time if you want to return to work before the babies are ready to be left alone."

"You mean, we can split my mat leave?" Olivia questioned.

"If you want to."

Olivia turned to Elliot who was shaking his head, "No- no way. I don't have the breasts and the milk and the stuff to keep them alive and quiet. You do."

"It's called a breast pump El-"

"That's my cue to leave." Cragen stated before departing from his office.

"Olivia... No." Elliot crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

"Come on El! This way it's fair! No one can question my dedication and assume I don't want to come back if I come back right away!"

"No... I can't."

"Why? Why can't you stay home with your own children for a couple of weeks?"

"A MONTH! It's a whole month, Olivia. I wont even take a day off when I've been shot!"

"Oh boo hoo! It's a month! You're not being forced out of here for the two months before the babies are born!"

Elliot continued to shake his head and Olivia stomped her foot in frustration, "Ugh! Elliot! Come on! This isn't the end of the world. It's a good thing!"

"Can I think about it?" Elliot asked and Olivia shook her head.

"No. No you can't. How would you feel if I asked you to let me think about taking mat leave? You'd have a fit. What if I said I wasn't taking mat leave? That I was going to hire a nanny? You'd blow a gasket. I don't know how Kathy worked things El, but you're going to be there for these babies. You're too good a father for you to not be."

Elliot stared at her in surprise but suddenly he started nodding, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Olivia's brow furrowed in confusion, "I am?"

"Yeah. I don't know why I'm fighting this... opportunity. I missed out on a lot with my other kids because I didn't take any time off. Now I'm actually being given the time and I'm resisting. It's stupid. I'm sorry."

Olivia was still confused and she looked around the room, "Am I being punk'd?"

Elliot laughed and pulled her into his embrace, "Nope. You're just watching a grown man grow a little bit more."

* * *

Olivia was sitting at her desk shuffling through the reports she had finished earlier in the day. It had been a long, exhausting day filled with pain and tears for a young woman who was attacked in the parking lot of her work. Olivia had done her best to help the girl through the identification

process as well as the traumatic experience of telling her incredibly hot headed parents of the event. All she could think of was getting home and taking a bath. Until she caught sight of two official looking people shaking hands with Elliot. She furrowed her brow and turned to look at Munch who was examining the scene with interest. Olivia threw her pen at him in order to catch his attention.

"Hey!" He protested but Olivia cut him off.

"Who are they?" She whispered. Munch shrugged as Elliot and the suited man and woman entered Cragen's office.

"My guess is your replacement." The anger that spilled onto Olivia's face caused John to backpedal, "Your temporary replacement."

"What? I'm not done yet!"

"Olivia, you're almost at the seven month mark! You have to leave in two weeks!"

Olivia frowned at the reality of Munch's statement, "They got him a woman?"

"Olivia, you've got nothing to worry about."

But Olivia was not convinced, "Why would they send another woman? We all know Elliot jumps the women he works with."

Munch laughed at the obvious jealousy pouring out of Olivia's mouth. He stood and walked over to Olivia's desk, "Elliot is a serial monogamist. He wont even think about this new girl. Besides, you don't even know if it's gunna be a woman."

Suddenly the door to Cragen's office opened. Elliot, Cragen and the mysterious duo exited, smiling. Olivia felt panic rise in her throat when she saw the four headed her way.

Olivia raised her head casually at the man and woman. Cragen smiled, "Olivia, John, this is Detective Lola Taylor and Detective Leo Smith." The four detectives shook hands with each other, "They're going to join our team for a while."

Olivia was trying to smile politely but even the new detectives could tell she was struggling, "So who's going to be working with El while I'm gone?" Olivia asked, unable to hide the jealousy in her voice.

"Both." Elliot stated. He could tell that Olivia was livid that there was another woman replacing her.

Both Munch and Olivia frowned, "What are you talking about?" Olivia asked.

"Detective Taylor is a new mother and Detective Smith and his wife are expecting their first child in a few months. After talking to their commanding officers we thought it might work putting the three of them together. That way there is less of a workload on each person and they will be able to spend more time with their partners and children. Then, after you return and Elliot leaves, you can still share the workload until Elliot returns. At which point we're hoping Detective's Taylor and Smith might be ready and willing for their own partnership here at SVU. This way they're being trained by the best detectives first hand, there's slack while it's needed and we eventually gain more man power."

Olivia felt a small pang of regret that she would no longer be the only woman in SVU. She had grown to enjoy the perks of being the favorite of the men surrounding her. But she knew this was for the best and she was grateful that Elliot's workload would be less, "This sounds great Captain." She could not help the eye up the new meat. Leo was a handsome young man. In his late twenties-early thirties if she had to guess. Green eyes with a dark, tan complexion. He had sandy brown hair that was neatly messy and a pleasant smile. Lola was tiny and blond with blue eyes. She had a sense of grace and perfection to her. Olivia immediately felt even more threatened.

"So, new mother? Any advice for those of us expecting?" Olivia asked, simply wanting to hear Lola's response.

Lola smiled a perfect smile, "It's the best." she responded, "Take it all in because they get big, fast."

"I'm terrified for the birth part." Leo pitched in, "I can't imagine a person actually being inside my wife and then suddenly appearing."

Lola nodded understandingly, "I didn't think my wife was going to be able to do it either-" Olivia's anxiety suddenly dropped to non-existent. She had nothing to worry about because Lola would not ever be interested in Elliot. "But it happened. It's crazy and terrifying but totally amazing." she explained.

"So, is this your first child?" Lola asked Olivia.

Olivia nodded and placed a hand on her stomach, "My first children. We're expecting twins." she explained which caused Leo and Lola to stare in surprise.

"Seriously? I can barely process having one." Leo laughed.

Olivia watched as Cragen silently left the crowd of detectives and motioned for Munch to follow him into his office. She knew he wanted to give the future partners bonding time with their mentors.

"What about you Elliot? Any kids?"

Elliot smiled broadly, "Five. They're amazing. And then I have these two on the way."

The expressions of shock and confusion spread on the faces of the new detectives. Olivia bit her lip, waiting for the backlash.

"You two are... together?" Leo asked. Elliot nodded, "Wow... I just thought you were both having kids but with different people..."

"They're letting you stay together in your partnership?" Lola was clearly confused.

"It took a lot of convincing and some pretty pointless psychological analysis' but we've been given permission to continue our partnership." Olivia explained, "So after I'm done my maternity leave, Elliot will start staying home with the babies." Olivia explained.

"I'm just shocked that OnePP is allowing this." Lola stated, "But I guess it's cool... I mean, you can't help who you fall in love with."

* * *

Olivia had reached the seven month mark. She was very pregnant. Her cravings for hamburgers with relish and extra mustard stuck with her but were quickly joined by cravings for honey dipped pickles and peanut butter cookies with chocolate ice cream and whipped cream. Munch and Fin were the dealers to her addictions. Every time they returned from a run, they would bring Olivia one of her cravings.

On her last day before maternity leave officially started the squad threw her a surprise baby shower. The colours had been green and yellow since the couple had decided against learning the genders of their babies. They received everything they needed. A diaper genie, double stroller, change tables and Cragen had bought the couple a pair of matching wooden cribs. They were beautiful and ornate. Hand carved like something our of Alice in Wonderland. The cribs were what inspired Olivia to decorate the nursery in the theme of Alice and her adventures. The nesting had begun the very first day she stayed home.

Elliot had gone through a long day when he returned home to find a very pregnant Olivia wearing an apron over her jeans and sweater. The winter was full blast and she was glad she was cooped up at home instead of trudging through the streets with Leo and Lola trying to find a perp or question a witness. But she still found herself bored. So this day, she decided to make a pie.

Elliot couldn't help the bemused smile that played across his lips, "What are you doing?"

Olivia was busy mixing chopped apples and cinammon into a bowl, "I'm making a pie." she stated non-chalantly.

"You're making a pie? Have you ever made a pie before?"

"No. But I figured I should try it."

"Do you know how hard making a pie can be?"

"It's not rocket science El." She then started to roll out the crust of the pie on the counter. She had not looked at Elliot since he arrived and he could tell something was wrong.

"Liv, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." she stated, obviously lying. She was silent while Elliot hung up his coat and kicked off his shoes. When he entered the kitchen he grabbed a bottle of water before sitting down at the table to watch Olivia make her pie. Elliot knew that if he waited she would break and tell him what was bothering her, "If Kathy can make a pie, I can make one too."

Elliot's brow furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest, "What are you talking about Liv?" Olivia finally turned around and crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Elliot. He could barely contain his grin at the sight of her large stomach underneath the polka-dotted apron. Flour streaked her face and clothing. The only reason Elliot did not laugh at her was the tears that were in Olivia's eyes, "Olivia, what happened?"

"I saw Kathy today..."

"You what?"

"She was at the grocery store with Eli... She was buying ingredients for a pie... For Eli's birthday."

"She say something?"

"She apologized to me. Said that she was glad you were happy and she would always be in debt to me for saving her life, as well as Eli's."

"That doesn't seem so awful."

"She just seemed so sad. With every word of her apology, I could tell she hated me. She seemed so hurt. At the end she said that I better make sure I was worth your love. Then she left me standing there. I felt two inches tall."

Elliot stood from his seat and walked over to Olivia but she backed away from him, clearly still upset. Tears streaked down her cheeks, cutting paths in the flour that had settled on her skin, "Liv- you need to ignore anything and everything that comes out of Kathy's mouth. She's just jealous."

"And she's still in love with you! It's so obvious Elliot..."

"But I love you. I'm not in love with Kathy at all Liv." He stepped closer but Olivia stepped back again.

"I know- and I believe you. I really do. I just hate how I feel about her. I hate that I'm still jealous of her. I hate how she makes me feel every time I think about her or see her."

"Why? How do you feel?" Elliot was floundering. He didn't understand why Olivia was letting Kathy bother her so much.

"She-" Olivia was obviously struggling for words, "She's- she's your first love- she's the one that was so good that I was abandoned time and time again."

Elliot's eyes widened in surprise, "Liv, what are you talking about?"

Olivia sighed as tears dripped onto her expanded stomach, "Nothing." she whispered, defeated. She slowly untied her apron and climbed the stairs to their bedroom, "I'm going to sleep. I'll talk to you later."

* * *

Olivia frowned when a loud crash jolted her from the slumber she had fallen into. She groaned when she looked at the clock. It was midnight and Elliot had not come to bed yet. Olivia started to panic wondering "had he come home? had he caught a case? was something wrong?" when she remembered that he had come home and she had gone certifiable on him. She sighed and hauled her pregnant body out of bed and padded down the stairs. Her brow furrowed when she walked into the kitchen and saw flour and dishes everywhere. It wasn't until she had fully entered the kitchen that she saw the two beautiful, perfectly golden apple pies sitting right in the centre of their table. Tears filled her eyes when she realized that Elliot had no idea what to do about her feelings and insecurities so he responded by baking her the pies she never finished. Olivia smiled and felt her heart expand. He was making a statement. He would always be there to finish what she could not. Even if it was something as serious as taking down a perp or something as silly as baking a pie.

"El?" she called out. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her and rested their hands on her stomach. She smiled as Elliot pressed his body against hers, "You finished the pies." she happily stated. Her voices was filled with adoration and love. She rested her head on his chest as he kissed her hair.

"I wasn't really sure what else to do..."

"I didn't know you could bake a pie."

"Neither did I... I just followed the instructions." he was silent for a moment then he took in a deep breath, "Are you still mad at me?" he asked, like a small child who had been put on a time out and they were unsure if they were permitted to leave their bedroom.

Olivia frowned, "El. I'm not mad at you. I'm just, insecure about Kathy... And I need you to know that..."

"Liv, Kathy isn't in my life anymore. I haven't spoken to her in almost five months... The only updates I get are from the kids."

"I know... and I'm sure I sound crazy but it's how I feel and I need you to respect that..."

Elliot grinned, "Can I not understand it but respect it at the same time?"

Olivia smiled and nodded, "Sure."

* * *

"You like the name Zaneth?"

"You don't?"

"It sounds like an anti-depressant."

"Well, you like Togo."

"What's wrong with Togo?"

"It reminds me of a Pogo stick."

"I said I thought Togo was cute. I didn't say we were going to name a baby Togo."

"I'll get the book out."

"Elliot, if you pull that goddamn baby name book out again I will name the babies by myself."

"But the baby book is full of wisdom and answers."

"It's also for people who are too lazy to come up with a name that means something to them."

"I used a baby book to name all my kids except Dickie."

"You used a baby book for Elizabeth?" Olivia arched her eyebrows in surprise.

Elliot shrugged, "Kathy picked it... I got to pick Richard."

"Think of something that means something to us."

Elliot sighed as he tried to think of two names that would work for their babies. He and Olivia were laying across their bed, her head to his toes. They stared at the ceiling and Elliot had rested his hand on the home of his soon-to-arrive children.

"Well, if we have girls, what about our mothers names?"

"Bernadette and Serena?" Elliot could tell she had scrunched her face up in distaste, "They're too dated. What about boys?"

Elliot knew that naming their children after their fathers was out of the question, so he attempted to figure out another meaningful options, "We could name them after our friends..."

"We have two babies and three friends Elliot."

"Touche. No rhyming names."

"Agreed. But I want them to go well together. And no hoity-toity religious names."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing cheesy like Hope or Faith."

Elliot laughed and shook his head, "I'm not Kelly Ripa."

"Really? You coulda fooled me."

Elliot grinned and sat up helped Olivia into a sitting position, "Now that we've figured out what not to name our children- what names are you thinking of?"

"I really want names that mean something to us." She sighed. Elliot frowned in frustration.

"We'll think of something."

"I hope so."

* * *

_Do you see how nicely that worked out? I bribed you- you gave me what I wanted and I gave you what you wanted! Tada!_

_Lets see if we can do it again- click on that button with the word "Review" that's in such a lovely shade of green!_


	13. Oh My My

_if we let our love /__ off of its leash/__ do you fear like i fear /__ how fierce it could be? _

_-oh my my, Ani DiFranco_

* * *

Elliot sat at his desk frowning at the pages and pages of mug shots staring back at him. He was waiting for Leo and Lola to return with new information on Ryan Turner.

Turner had resurfaced. He decided to make his animosity towards the SVU squad know by blowing up Elliot's car. Because of this, Elliot was forced to stay in the squadroom while Leo and Lola worked the scene. Elliot was not happy but Cragen reminded him that Olivia was due at any minute and the last thing they needed was Turner doing anything stupid before the babies came. Olivia was unaware that anything was wrong. Elliot was afraid of what the stress would do to her so Cragen called Casey and asked her to spend the day with Olivia and to keep an eye on her. Elliot hated that he couldn't be with Olivia while she waited for her labour to begin. Elliot's thoughts were interrupted when his cell phone rang. He smiled when he saw a photo of Olivia smiling up at him from his phone's screen.

"Hey Liv. How's it going with Casey?"

"Really great. Alex found a way to get a gift to us through her!"

Elliot's eyebrows shot up, "Wow. What is it?"

"The sweetest little bunny stuffies. They look so worn out but they're so soft and snuggly. She also sent a great card wishing us the best and that she's shattered that she couldn't be here to help us hide our relationship from everyone else."

Elliot couldn't help laughing at hearing Olivia use the word "snuggly" and Alex's assumption that she would have known about he and Olivia. "And Casey's doing well?"

"She's great. She's started working for a rape crisis centre in Brooklyn."

"What happened to the mental health centre she was working at?"

"Wasn't a good fit- El, I gotta go. Casey just showed up with my food."

"Ah, of course. Food will always trump me." Elliot felt a pang of sadness that his best friend was about to hang up the phone, "Liv- I love you."

"I love you too El." Olivia casually threw back before hanging up the phone. Elliot hung up and his gaze flew up to see Lola and Leo rushing into the squadroom.

"Elliot- Turner was just spotted outside Pop's Burger joint. We're headed there now."

Suddenly Elliot's phone blared to life and he saw a text message on his screen. "She's getting big." Elliot frowned when he didn't recognize the number. A chill ran down Elliot's spine and he dialed Olivia's number.

"El- I'm eating."

"Liv, where are you?"

"Pop's. Why?"

"Olivia, get out of there. Now. Turner is outside."

"What?"

"Olivia, get the hell out of there. He just sent me a message and he can see you. Please, leave! Get somewhere safe. Call Leo or Lola when you're there and they'll come get you."

"Okay, I'm leaving now, but why can't you come get me?"

"I'm going to deal with Turner."

"Elliot, please, don't... He's sick, he could be setting you up."

But Elliot was unable to hear Olivia's plea, as he had already hung up his phone.

* * *

The blood pumping through Elliot's veins seemed to explode from his skin. Heat prickled the surface of his body like pinpricks. Blood escaped from his mouth which he realized was from biting his lip to keep his screams from escaping. Turners face started to swim in his eyes. He didn't realize he had fallen to his knees until his hands hit the dirt in front of him. The sound of a second gunshot echoed unnaturally. He felt the heat rip through his chest. His body was suddenly resting in the dirt. His eyes blinked heavily. Blood pulsed in his ears.

"Liv..." he whispered before unconsciousness engulfed him.

* * *

Olivia dropped her phone. Her hands shook as she gripped the kitchen counter for support. The pain that surfed through her body was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

"Jesus..." She hissed while bending over to pick up her phone. She fumbled with the numbers that were spinning before her eyes. Another shock of pain hit her body and she bit her lip to keep back the scream she knew was begging to be released. She frowned when Elliot did not pick up his phone, "Casey!" she moaned.

Casey came running into the kitchen of her apartment and saw Olivia doubled over in pain, "Olivia? What's wrong?"

"I think- I think I'm in labour." She breathed. Casey was unable to hold back the shocked look on her face but she jumped straight into action.

"How far apart are your contractions?" She asked and Olivia bit her lip, shaking her head.

"Too close. Casey- I need to get to the hospital now."

Casey nodded, "Alright, I'll call an ambulance." She grabbed her phone and dialed 9-1-1, "I need an ambulance at 2209 Montgomery West. SVU detective is in labour, contractions are close together- Thank you." Casey hung up her phone and placed a supportive arm around Olivia as she moved her friend into the living room, "They're on their way."

"Call Elliot- please." Casey nodded and dialed Elliot's number and listened to the phone ring as she helped Olivia sit on the couch.

"Hello?" a voice crackled on the other end of the phone.

"Elliot? It's Casey- Olivia is in labour."

"I'll make sure to tell him." The phone went dead and Casey felt her stomach land in her feet. Something was seriously wrong.

* * *

"Captain- I just got a call from Lola- They just found Elliot in an alley in the meat-packing district. He's been twice shot in the chest. The ambulance is on it's way. Turner got away with the car."

Cragen stared at Munch in shock, "Is he conscious?"

Munch shook his head sadly, "No. Lola said it doesn't look good. They're bringing him to St. Martin's."

"Get there now. I'll call Olivia and go pick her up."

Munch nodded and ran out of the squadroom as Fin entered, "Captain- Casey just called me. Olivia is in labour. The ambulance is on it's way. They're taking her to St. Martin's."

Cragen felt his heart in his throat, "Are you serious?" he asked, incredulously.

"Why would I kid about this?" Fin glared back.

Cragen shook his head as he realized Fin would not joke about something so serious, "Is she okay?"

"Casey said the contractions are coming in fast and hard. She said she couldn't get through to Elliot- you want me to go track him down?"

Cragen shook his head in disbelief, "Elliot's been shot- They're bringing him to St. Martin's-"

Fin stared at his Captain in shock, "He okay?"

"Lola said it doesn't look good." Cragen paused to try and take in the reality of the crisis his squad was in, "We've got to get to that hospital- now."

* * *

_Say what? Huh? You really want to review? Well, who am I to stop you? Just click that handy button! Peace!_


	14. Cradle and All

_  
take me home/ take me home and leave me there/ think i'm going to cry, i don't know why/ think i'm going to sing myself a lullaby/ feel free to listen/ feel free to stare/ i live in new york, new york / the city that never shuts up/ in the daylight everything is so gory/ you can hear snatches of stranger's sorry stories/__-cradel and all, Ani DiFranco_

* * *

Olivia bit down on her lip as the raging pain surfed through her body, "Is it supposed to hurt this much?" she moaned as she clutched the edge of her hospital bed.

Casey stroked her hair and tried to sooth her friend. Munch and Fin knocked on the hospital room door and Casey motioned for them to enter.

"Hey Olivia, you okay?" Fin asked.

Olivia shook her head as she took in deep breaths, "No." she complained, "Where the hell is Elliot? I want to kill the son-of-a-bitch that did this to me!"

Fin turned to Munch who shook his head. Neither man was prepared to be the one that shattered Olivia's world. Casey caught the look that passed between the two partners and she knew something had gone wrong. Munch motioned for Fin to say something to their colleague, "We're working on finding him. His cell is off but Lola and Leo are going to get him."

"Yeah, Elliot's a stubborn bastard. There's no way these kids are coming without him here."

"Cragen's just talking to the doctor, I'll be right back." Fin headed out the door.

Casey stood from the chair beside Olivia's bed and she squeezed her hand, "I'll go get you some more ice chips." Olivia nodded through her breathing and Casey quickened her pace to catch up with Fin in the hallway.

"Fin, what the hell is going on? Where's Elliot?"

Fin sighed and shook his head, "He's in the ER- he was shot twice in the chest..."

"Oh my God, is he okay?"

Fin frowned, "It's not looking so great... he's lost a lot of blood. Cragen is checking with the doctor to see if we should tell Olivia or if it will upset her too much."

"Olivia is going to know something is wrong. She already does- You have to tell her..." Casey turned her case to Cragen who had walked up in the middle of her plea.

"The doctor said to not tell her under any circumstances. She's already scared and he thinks this will be a difficult birth- she doesn't need Elliot weighing her down..."

"It's already weighing her down! She wants her partner there and she has no idea where he is! We can't keep lying to her-"

"The doctor is afraid she will become even more irrational than she already is- He doesn't want her to completely lose it." Casey frowned at the firm tone that Cragen spoke to her in but she knew the argument was over, "Fin, you go call Elliot's kids. Meet them in the Family Room. Brief them on the situation. We don't want them letting anything slip to Olivia. I'll go wait for updates on Elliot. I'll send you texts when I know more. Casey, go take over for John. Olivia is probably ready to kill him. We'll meet together in an hour for updates." The team split and started their tasks.

* * *

Fin stared at the terrified faces before him. Maureen held Eli in her arms while Kathleen, Dickie and Lizzie sat on the couch holding hands. Their faces were white with fear. Fin was having trouble figuring out what might comfort them. He was saved from having to say anything when Maureen opened her mouth.

"Where's Olivia? Why isn't she telling us all of this?"

Fin cringed. He hadn't said anything about Olivia, "Olivia... Olivia went into labour about two hours ago. Before we knew that your dad had been injured. The doctors have asked us to not say anything about your dad until they know more. They don't want anymore stress complicating the birth. She's already having some complications."

Kathleen covered her face with her hands, "Are the babies okay?" she moaned.

"The babies are fine. The labour is just happening too quickly. They want to slow it down- give Olivia some time." Fin's phone suddenly bleeped and he looked down to see a message from Cragen, "The Captain says they've stopped the bleeding and they're moving your dad into surgery." Another message quickly replaced Cragen's and Fin frowned at the words Casey had typed, "Casey is wondering if you guys are able to come see Olivia. She needs people who love her around her to calm her down..." Fin looked up to the faces of Elliot's beautiful children. They were clearly horrified that they might be expected to do anything productive in this situation. But Maureen slowly nodded and the twins stood from the couch with Kathleen closely behind.

"What floor is she on?" Dickie asked.

"4th. Remember to not say anything about your dad. Just reassure her that we're tracking him down and try to distract her."

The five shell-shocked children followed Fin into the elevator. Fin watched as Maureen kissed Eli's head gently and whispered to her brother that everything was going to be okay. Fin felt a pang of fear at the thought that maybe everything was actually going to be completely destroyed at the loss of one man. The elevator evened out and the crew spilled out into the hall. They began the somber walk to Olivia's room and Fin led the kids in.

"You got some visitors Olivia."

The tired smile that spilled onto Olivia's face was heart-breaking, "Hey guys. What are you doing here?" she whispered, exhaustedly.

Maureen approached the bed and Casey moved so the children could gain better access to the woman who held their father's heart, "You didn't think we'd let our new siblings be born without us around, did you?"

Lizzie sat in the chair as Kathleen rounded the bed. Lizzie clutched Olivia's hand while Kathleen stroked her hair. Dickie took Eli from Maureen so Maureen could take Olivia's other hand in hers, "Are you feeling alright?" Kathleen asked.

Olivia nodded, "I am now that you're all here. Just so you know, your father is a great man and I love him dearly. But I am going to kill him the second he gets here." she moaned. Olivia was too tired to notice the looks of horror that passed across each child's face.

"I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he can." Maureen shakily reassured.

Fin left the room once he trusted that the kids weren't going to say anything to terrify Olivia even more. He approached Cragen, Munch and Casey who were all leaning against the wall with defeated faces.

"Any updates on Elliot?" Fin asked.

Cragen sighed, "They brought him to surgery to try and remove the bullet but it looks like it's lodged in his heart and the bullet is the only thing keeping him from bleeding out."

"They can't just remove it and then repair the damage after?"

"They're saying that if they remove it then he'll bleed too fast. But if they don't do something soon, his heart will eventually slow down and stop pumping blood."

The four adults had been so absorbed in their conversation that they hadn't heard Kathleen come up behind them, "But they're gunna fix him, right? He'll be okay?"

Cragen sighed and Casey could not contain the tears in her eyes. Fin shook his head and Munch slouched his shoulders in defeat, "It's not looking good Kathleen." Cragen sighed, "But they're doing everything they can."

"I want to talk to the doctor." Kathleen stated, "I have to tell her that she needs to save my father. Olivia cannot have those babies on her own! The doctors need to save him or Olivia will die." Kathleen begged Cragen.

Casey swallowed a sob and she wiped her tears away before taking a deep breath, "Kathleen, as soon as the doctor comes out to update us again, I'll come get you... Right now, the babies and Olivia need you in there."

Kathleen huffed back into Olivia's room, followed by Fin.

Fin stared into Olivia's hospital room. He noticed that an elderly Doctor had joined Dickie and Eli at the back of the room as Olivia cried in fear.

"Detective Benson, you're going to need to start pushing soon."

"I can't do this without Elliot! Where is he?" She wept. Sweat and tears mixed on her face and stained the hospital gown she wore. Maureen squeezed Olivia's hand.

"You can do this Olivia! We need you to do this! Your children need you to do this..."

Olivia tried to hold in her tears but her pain and fear fully manifested itself when the sobbing became uncontrollable, "No! No! I need Elliot! Please, someone just find him! Where is he?" She rolled over onto her side and covered her head with her hands, attempting to block out the noise and doctors.

Fin felt his chest tighten in sadness. He couldn't watch her like this. Olivia, his strong, independent, beautiful co-worker and friend. She needed to know what had happened.

He suddenly found himself next to Olivia, "Olivia- babe, Elliot's can't be here right now. So you gotta do what the doctors say."

Olivia peeked out at Fin, "You found him?"

Fin frowned but nodded. He could not lie to her any longer, "We found him."

Olivia knew something was wrong the second she caught the fear in Fin's eyes, "What happened?"

Fin looked to Maureen, who took Olivia's hand and squeezed it, "Olivia, there was an accident..." Maureen found her throat closing up from sadness and tears. She shook her head and Fin rubbed her back before turning to Olivia.

"Turner shot him Olivia. Twice in the chest. He's in surgery right now but the doctors don't know how he's going to do." Fin could feel the doctor glaring at his head from behind him.

"Olivia, are you okay?"

The tears that poured down Olivia's face felt like poison on her skin, "They don't know if he's gunna be okay?" she whispered.

Fin shook his head, "Cragen is waiting for updates."

Olivia could not help the sob that escaped from her throat, "I want him here." she whimpered, "I want him here with me. He's supposed to be here! Not almost dying!" Everyone in the room could sense the panic in Olivia.

"Detective- can I speak to you outside?" Fin turned to see an attacking glare from Olivia's doctor. Fin nodded and stormed outside, followed by the doctor and nurse. He knew he was in for a verbal whiplashing. He had disobeyed direct orders from the doctor and his commanding officer. Fin turned to face the medical team standing behind him. Casey, Munch and Cragen had sensed the frustration in Fin so they came and stood behind their colleague, blindly ready to back his play.

"What's up doc?"

"I told you not to tell my patient what was going on with her partner!"

Fin was thrown off by the sharp tone that the doctor used to reprimand him but managed to come back with his side of the argument, "She has the right to know man. I'm not gunna bold-face lie to her. She deserves the truth."

"The stress of this birth is already terrifying her-"

The doctor was cut off by Cragen, "Doctor Barnes, did any immediate danger come to Detective Benson or the babies from Detective Tutuola's decision?"

"No... but we can never be sure that she wont panic-"

"Well, until she does, this argument is pointless. We can't un-do what's been done."

Doctor Barnes frowned at the Captain and turned on his heel, followed by the nurse. Fin started to nod his appreciation to Cragen but stopped when he saw the frown on his CO's face.

"Captain-"

"You better hope Olivia keep's her cool in there or I'm arresting you for insubordination."

Fin didn't have a chance to defend himself as Maureen came running from Olivia's room, "Something's wrong!" It didn't take long before the blaring alarms filled the hallway. Everyone rushed into Olivia's room.

"What happened?" Casey cried.

"One minute she was talking and then suddenly she was out of it and she passed out! We tried to wake her up but-" Lizzie was cut off by the crowd of doctors and nurses came rushing in.

"Everybody out- now!"

Before they could blink, the kids and squad had been kicked out into the hallway. The shock had silenced them all. Lizzie then suddenly started sobbing and clinging to Eli. Maureen quickly wrapped her arms around her sister and brother while Dickie and Kathleen leaned against the wall. Casey pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, begging the tears to stay away. Cragen rubbed his head nervously. The group stood in horrified silence, waiting for any sort of motion from Olivia's room. Ten minutes had passed when a young doctor approached them from down the hallway.

"Captain Cragen?"

The doctor nearly jumped back when nine sets of eyes turned onto her. Cragen recognized the blonde as the young intern working on Elliot.

"Yes- yes, do you have any news on Elliot?"

The doctor nodded, "We explored more and discovered that the damage was less than we thought. We were able to extract the bullet and repair all the damage to his heart."

"So he's okay?" Maureen hoped.

The doctor smiled, "He's in recovery now. Providing there are no further complications he should be fine."

Relief filled the hallway and for one quiet moment everyone felt content. Elliot was going to be okay. But reality crashed into the group once more when the door of Olivia's room swung open and a nurse called for the young doctor who had delivered the good news about Elliot.

"Doctor Schmidt, we need some help in here!" Doctor Schmidt rushed away from the camp set up outside and disappeared into the room in crisis.

The sobering effect of reality was enough to shock the group into silence once again.

* * *

_here's the deal... if i hit 100 reviews in this chapter, the next update will be up so quick you'd think there was no break between them... and just so you know, the story is winding down. there are about two more chapters until it's over! quick! review while you have the chance__!_


	15. Landing Gear

_**Ahhh! I meant to have this up last night for you amazing folks but the internet crashed and my roommate had to do some weird technical thing to fix it... you guys are wicked though! Thanks for all the reviews.**__**Also, I am NOT a doctor. And I do not play one on TV. but my mother is a midwife so the things happening to Olivia are 99.9% accurate but excuse my artistic license in Elliot's case... I'm hoping to make it through life without actually knowing what happens to a body when it is shot three times.**__

* * *

__hey little bag of sugar /  
floating in your biosphere /  
summon the courage /  
to put down your landing gear /  
and come out here /__  
__'cuz i am as exhausted /  
as a drowning polar bear /  
swimming around looking for a ride /  
and it's so god awful hot outside/  
__  
_

_you're gonna love this world /  
if it's the last thing i do /  
the whole extravagant joke /  
topped in bitter sweet chocolate goo /  
for someone who ain't even here yet /  
look how much the world loves you /  
look how much the world loves you/_

_-landing gear, Ani DiFranco_

* * *

Elliot felt the white hot pain in his eyes. His chest was heavy and the dull chirping of a machine pressed on his ears. The pressure keeping his body down was suffocating him. He felt groggy and exhausted. His eyelids were heavy and refusing to open. It didn't take long for him to register that something was wrong. He started trying to move every muscle in his body. He was unsure if it was working but he felt a squeeze on his hand.

"Dad?"

Elliot managed to open his eyes a crack and he saw the concerned face of Kathleen leaning over him, "Ka-" his voice broke.

"Shh. Don't try and talk." Kathleen whispered. Elliot managed to open his eyes more and he took in the scene around him. Kathleen was at his bedside in the beige hospital room.

"Where am I?" his hoarse voice whispered.

"St Martin's." Kathleen answered, "Do you remember what happened?"

Elliot managed to slowly maneuver himself into a sitting position, "I- I just remember chasing Turner into an alley..." he whispered.

Kathleen nodded at her father and stroked his hand, "You were shot Dad... Dad, let me go get the doctor."

Elliot nodded and his daughter rushed from the room. He spotted a glass of water on his bedside table. His throat was killing him so he leaned over and with a weak and shaky hand, he managed to pour the cool liquid into his mouth. His throat soothed, Elliot coughed loudly and Kathleen came running back into his private hospital room, followed by a young blonde doctor.

"Detective Stabler, how are you feeling?" The doctor frantically read the machines hooked up to Elliot's body.

"A little sore." Elliot stated causing a smile to spread across the doctors face.

"Tough guy, huh? No shortness of breath? Tight chest? Headaches?"

Elliot shook his head at all of the symptoms, "Nothing..." he then turned to his daughter. Kathleen was chewing her finger nails, "Kathleen, can you call Olivia for me?"

Kathleen shot a look to the doctor who shook her head at the terrified daughter. Kathleen took in a deep breath before answering, "Sure dad. I'll call her."

Elliot's heart plummeted into his stomach, "I'm not blind. What the hell is going on?"

The doctor then let out a deep sigh, "Detective Stabler... Detective Benson went into labour yesterday afternoon. She was admitted to the hospital at almost the same time as you..."

Both Kathleen and Doctor Schmidt stepped back from the bed as Elliot started pulling off chords that were hooked up to him, "Where is she?"

"Detective. Please, I need you to stay in bed so we can monitor you."

Elliot shook his head, "Kathleen, get the wheelchair."

Kathleen stared at her father in shock, "Dad- listen to the doctor."

Elliot swung his legs over the side of his bed, ignoring the pain shooting through his body, "Where is Olivia?"

"Detective, please-"

Elliot cut the doctor off, "Look, doctor, I know you're concerned but I have to be with my partner. I cannot leave her to have my children alone."

"Dad- she's unconscious."

Elliot stopped dead and looked at his daughter, "Pardon me?" he choked out.

"She had a panic attack sir. We sedated her in order to keep her calm..."

Elliot stared at Kathleen and Doctor Schmidt in anger, "Get me to Olivia. Now."

* * *

Olivia moaned. Her entire body felt like it was turning on her and attacking. She was in a strange place with strange people. A man shone a light in her eyes. His face was distorted and hazy. Her mouth felt like she had eaten a bag of cotton. There was a pounding in her ears like a marching band drummer had taken up residence. The soreness in her chest made breathing a labored task. The fluorescent lights of the room obliterated her memory and her understanding of what could possibly be going on around her. Only one thing registered in her mind.

"Elliot." she whispered so softly that only the doctor, who was now shining the bright light down her throat, could hear her.

"Pardon me Ms Benson?"

Olivia's eyes shut in pain as she tried to summon enough moisture in her throat and mouth to help make her words coherent, "My- my partner- Elliot Stabler?" she whispered, hoping that clarifying Elliot's title might make the doctor understand.

Olivia gripped the starchy hospital bed as pain surged through her body. The doctor noticed and he grabbed her wrist and took her pulse, "She's having another contraction." He called out to the room around them. Olivia's vision had cleared enough for her to take in the forms of two other doctors and three nurses. Suddenly, a wave of realization hit her and she turned her eyes back to the doctor.

"Doctor Barnes?"

The kind-eyed doctor smiled and nodded, "There she is- It's good to see you awake Ms Benson. You gave us a bit of a scare when you passed out last night. That was one nasty anxiety attack." He then nodded towards one of the nurses, who quickly left the room.

Olivia's eyes widened in shock, "Last night?" she hoarsely whispered.

Doctor Barnes nodded, "We gave you some medication to slow down the labor which lowered your blood pressure and then it was safe to give you some medicine to calm you down. You had become hysterical and we knew you just needed to hold on a little longer."

"Are the babies okay?"

"Their heartbeats are strong and even. They're ready to get out here into the real world though."

Olivia instantly felt a crash of panic hit her body. Her chest tightened again and eyes welled with tears, "No. I can't do this without Elliot- Please, Doctor, is he okay?"

"I'm fine."

Olivia swiveled her head on the scratchy pillow, wincing at the pain that attacked her as she did so. "El?" She blinked at the form that was being wheeled into her room.

He looked pale and gaunt. He wore his gray zip-up hoody along with black track pants. He had a raging red gash on his forehead with six dark black stitches holding it shut. But Olivia barely noticed the "I've been through hell-and-back" look he sported. Not over the smile that had filled his face. His eyes flooded with relief and joy as she reached a hand out to him. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks as he leaned in from his wheelchair and kissed her deeply. Their bodies delighted in the connection of their long separated lips. Elliot ran his hands through her hair until they rested on her cheeks. She clung to his neck and allowed him to kiss her tears off of her face. Their foreheads finally rested together and they allowed themselves to bath in the others existence.

Olivia wanted to remain that way with her partner forever but the unanticipated contraction forced her body to lean against her bed, "Jesus." she murmured and Doctor Barnes closed the gap between himself and Olivia.

"Dear, I'm going to check how dilated you are. But I'm guessing you should get ready to push."

Elliot took her hand in his, "You ready for this?"

Olivia bit her lip and nodded, "I think so. Now that you're here."

Elliot leaned in and kissed her temple, "There's no way I wouldn't be."

* * *


	16. PresentInfant

_but now here's this tiny baby /  
and they say she looks just like me /  
and she is smiling at me /  
with that present/infant glee /  
and i would defend /  
to the ends of the earth /  
her perfect right to be/_

-Present/Infant, Ani DiFranco

* * *

Fin, Munch, Cragen, Casey, Lola, Leo, Maureen, Kathleen, Lizzie, Dickie and Eli all stood in complete silence. Their glassy eyes watched as medical professionals entered in and out of Olivia's delivery suite. They had been waiting for almost six hours. Their only update came through a nurse stating that the first baby had gotten it's shoulder stuck so the delivery had gotten a little more complicated. The information had come three hours earlier, around the same time Lola and Leo had joined the waiting party. They informed the squad that Ryan Turner had jumped a ridge in Elliot's car and landed in the Hudson River. The divers had pulled his body out and he was being transported to the morgue.

Cragen sighed loudly. He was displeased with the lack of communication between the doctors and himself.

Munch caught the sigh, "Sir, no news means good news."

Cragen was about to retort when the door to Olivia's room swung open and Elliot's smiling face appeared before the assembly.

"She did amazingly."

The sighs of relief filled the empty hallway. Maureen smiled at her elated father, "How is she?"

"She's great."

Casey could not supress her delight, "How are they?"

Elliot's smile reached from ear to ear and all the exhaustion and pain effecting his body left him completely, "They're perfect."

* * *

Olivia stood at her kitchen sink, washing a glass pie plate free of crumbs and cinnamon, when a jab in the leg forced her to turn around. She looked down to see a pair of cosmic, cerulean eyes smiling up at her from underneath a head of jet-black, overgrown curls. Her eyes then flitted to the shiny black gun that was digging into the flesh of her thigh.

"Johnathon, if you shoot momma with that gun, there is gunna be serious trouble."

Johnny giggled and lowered the gun to his side. Olivia let out a deep breath when suddenly the kitchen filled with a loud blast. Olivia jumped to cover her son with her body. The kitchen then filled with giggles and Elliot appeared with Johnny's twin sister Ani. Ani handled an exact copy of the cap gun that Johnny held in his hand. She also featured the same cerulean eyes and mess of dark curls. She was the spitting image of her mother but she held the same mischievous and stubborn attitude that her father was notorious for. Johnny had managed to be a perfect balance of his mother and father in appearance but he matched Olivia in the kind spirit and patience that she displayed daily with victims and her three-year old twins.

Olivia placed her hands on her hips and glared at her partner, "Elliot! I wish you wouldn't buy them those stupid toy guns!" She scolded her partner as he lifted his daughter onto his shoulders. Elliot laughed and Olivia's frown grew as she pried the gun from Johnny's hands. The toddler whined and attempted to regain possession of the cheap piece of plastic from his mother but failed. Olivia could sense her sons forthcoming tantrum and she swiftly lifted him up into her arms and handed him a home-made peanut-butter cookie. This quelled his desire to cause a scene and he quickly started in on the treat. It took a split second for Ani to start squirming on Elliot's shoulders and gesturing towards the goodie her brother was enjoying. Olivia grabbed another cookie from the mushroom-shaped jar and held it out to her daughter. Ani tried to grab the snack quickly but Olivia was faster. She gestured for the fake weapon to be relinquished first. Ani frowned but relented quickly, dropping the gun on the floor, leading Olivia to huff in frustration before handing over the cookie.

Elliot laughed as Olivia threw the guns into the garbage can, "Oh, come on Liv!"

"Elliot! It's not funny to trivialize shooting people!"

Elliot smiled, "How can you be a cop yet be so anti-guns?" He lowered his daughter to the ground and reached to pluck Johnny from the arms of his partner. Elliot kissed him on the forehead before his son squirmed out of his arms and ran into the living room with his sister.

Olivia returned to the kitchen sink and continued to scrub away the baked on crust from the pie plate. She tried to turn a blind eye to the fact that Elliot had ignored her the last time she asked him to stop buying the toy weapons. But she was clearly displeased. Suddenly she felt a soft tickling around her hips and carry over onto her stomach. She looked down to see Elliot's hands connected on the centre of her stomach. He was pulling her away from the sink and into his body. Olivia frowned and started to resist.

"Elliot, don't. You know I'm annoyed with you." She pulled back towards the sink.

"I know. That's why I'm trying to charm my way back into your good books." He then pulled her back from the sink and pressed her back up into his body. Olivia tried to struggle but he managed to keep her put.

"Let me go or I'm going to kick your ass." Olivia attempted to free herself from Elliot's grip but he was too solid in his hold on her. Olivia tried twisting away but Elliot wrapped his arms around her back and lifted her up under his arm. "Elliot! Put me down!" She yelled. Anyone else would have put the frustrated-sounding woman down instantly. But Elliot could hear the hint of amusement in her voice, so he continued in his attempts to get out of trouble. He lifted her up onto the kitchen counter so she was sitting facing him. He held her wrists as she tried to jump from the counter and he brought his lips down onto her neck. Instantly Olivia stopped fighting and she bent her head back to allow Elliot better access, "You bastard."

Elliot smiled into his kisses and moved his hands up onto her thighs and onto her hips while she ran her hands over his back and through his hair. Elliot trailed his kisses down over her shoulders and chest before connecting her lips. Olivia sighed into the kiss, "You never listen to me." She complained.

Elliot grinned into the kiss and bit her lip before answering, "I'm so sorry."

Olivia frowned as he started kissing her neck again, "Stop buying those stupid guns, please. They already have enough toys, they don't need anything that teaches them violence."

Elliot nodded, "I promise." He then pulled her off of the counter and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They continued necking passionately. Elliot could not help the heated reaction his body had towards his lover. Olivia gasped as Elliot's teeth nipped the hollow of her neck. She moaned when he started sucking on her neck. She could feel his hardness against her inner-thigh and it was taking all her self-restraint to keep herself from ripping his clothes off right there in their kitchen.

"El- the kids." She whispered but Elliot continued to work his charms on her neck. It was then that Olivia realized what he was doing. She tried to pull away from him, "No no no no!" She cried but she knew he had succeeded. She pulled away to see the intense satisfaction on Elliot's face. He had given her a hickey, "You asshole!" she cried in frustration as he lowered her to the floor. She covered the lovebite with her hand and shot fire into Elliot's eyes. "Fin already calls me a fourteen year-old because of the last two. Why would you do that?"

Elliot moved the collar of his shirt down a fraction of an inch and revealed four dark hickies on his neck, "These are from last night."

Olivia bit her lip and attempted to restrain her laughter, "Oh."

Elliot nodded, "Yeah. So, until these heal, I have to wear my shirt buttoned the whole way up, like some stiff ass insurance salesman."

"So you decided to move the heat onto me? Everybody is going to see this!"

Elliot shrugged cheekily, "I guess you'll have to think of something."

Olivia punched Elliot in the chest, "Bastard." She muttered.

Elliot grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his body, "I wasn't finished." He whispered menacingly.

Olivia glared at him and attempted to pull away again but Elliot maintained his hold on her, "Let go."

As quick as a flash, Elliot scooped her up into a fireman's carry and rushed towards the living room, "Ani! Johnny! I got mommy!"

In her upside down position Olivia could see her children pounce out from behind the couch. Johnny had stripped down to his underwear and wore a colander on his head as a helmet and held a duster in his hand for a weapon. Ani had managed to squeeze herself into an electric green spandex bodysuit and a toy police holster around her waist. They screamed like savage beasts as Elliot dropped Olivia onto the couch. They jumped onto their mother and quickly started the mission of tickling her every crevasse.

Olivia could not hold in the screaming and laughing that was escaping from her, "Elliot! Ani! No! Johnny! Stop!" She gasped as the trio of mischief makers attacked her.

"Say mercy!" Elliot yelled as he started assail her feet.

Olivia squealed like a schoolgirl and attempted to kick him away, "Never!" She cried as she lifted her children off of her chest and she flipped her body quickly so she had pinned Elliot to the end of the couch.

"Sprout, Bean, get daddy's toes!"

The toddlers squealed at the rare chance to invoke revenge against their father for all the times he had tickled them into tears. Elliot felt their tiny fingers running across his feet and it took all of his control to keep from kicking them across the room. Olivia straddled his chest, keeping his arms pinned to his sides with her knees. She laughed as he struggled underneath her. The twins giggled as Elliot cried out in protest, "Hey! Guys! No! Daddy's too ticklish!" Olivia shrieked as he freed his left arm and she lurched forward. He pulled her down to him and held her wrist so she could not escape him. They were eye to eye and Olivia's eyes widened at the look in her partners eyes. She knew she was in trouble. Elliot summoned all of his strength and lifted Olivia off of him and she went tumbling to the floor, getting tangled up with the twins on her way down.

Olivia grabbed Ani and Johnny and held their giggling, squirming forms in front of her, "Elliot- remember that you love me! I'm the mother of your children! Your partner, your best friend, your confidante!" She pleaded as he stood glowering over her.

Olivia shrieked as he hoisted his kids up into his arms and placed them on the couch to watch as he attacked their mother. The babes laughed as Elliot lowered into a sitting position on Olivia. He had just started to dig his fingers into her sides when the sudden pressure of the two children launching themselves onto his back threw him off balance and onto the floor beside Olivia.

"We win!" Ani cried as she jumped onto her father and Johnny hugged his mother. Elliot and Olivia laughed, laying side by side with their children sitting on their mother and father's stomachs, enjoying the rising and falling effects of their parents giggles.

The family laid in the same position, laughing and basking in the company of the people they loved most.

It wasn't until Ani was yawning and Johnny was rubbing his eyes in exhaustion that Elliot realized it was way past their bedtime, "Okay you boogers, let's get to bed."

"Daddy, I'm not tired." Ani protested as her father launched into a sitting position. Olivia followed suit and Johnny rested against his mother's chest. She took a peek at her children's ears. They were bright red.

"It's time for bed Bean." She held her free hand out to the now standing Elliot, who hoisted her up to him. Ani frowned at her parents and brother. Johnny had already fallen asleep on his mother. Elliot lifted his daughter into his arms and he followed Olivia up the stairs. They walked into the Alice-In-Wonderland themed bedroom and Olivia lowered her son onto his blue teacup bed. She managed to pull on his pajamas and tuck him in without a single peep from their son. Ani was another story. She was being stubborn, arms crossed over her chest as Elliot attempted to pull a nightie over her head.

"Ani, it's time for bed. Put your arms up."

Ani relented at the warning tone in her fathers voice and she raised her arms over her head so he could pull the pajamas on fully, "But I'm not-" Ani was cut off by the loud yawn that escaped her, "-tired."

Olivia smiled at her daughter as she tucked her into the pink teacup bed, "I know you're not Beaner. But mamma and daddy are so we want you to sleep."

Ani's eyelids had already drooped, "Fine." She whispered.

Olivia kissed her daughter and sons foreheads before turning towards Elliot. He took her hand and led her from the room. She shot one more glance back as she closed the door, "I love you." She whispered.

Olivia was shocked when the twins answered in unison, "Love you mama. Love you daddy."

* * *

_That's it! The end! Sorry for the cheesy ending but I had to because I'm writing another story that isn't as happy... Thanks for all of the reviews and the encouragement! You guys rocks! Now, I have a few ideas floating around in my head for a sequel- what do you guys think?_


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